Trauma Stitched with Love
by Rinichey
Summary: Romance, drama and a pinch of madness were what Vicky expected to find when she entered High School. Not an adorable werewolf whose presence alone drudges up haunting memories. Stubborn to finally conquer her fears, Vicky tries to grow closer to Scott, only to find something more than she had hoped. But will it be enough to finally set her free? The full moon draws near ...
1. First Day of Horror

**Notes: Hey everyone! So I never planned to make a Monster Prom fanfic, and honestly, I don't really know what I'm getting into, but I was a little disappointed with the lack of stories for this game and I wanted to give it a shot. I'm still playing the game and I'm not an expert on the characters, so forgive me if I'm not 100% accurate with them, but I'll try my best. I honestly don't know how far I'll get in the story, but I'm ready for the ride if you guys are too. Let me know what you think with reviews! I'd love to hear the response to this!**

 **EXTRA Note: Because Fanfiction only allows so many words for the description, I want to give a shoutout to "TheMystiqueStarlight" who you can find on Deviantart for the beautiful cover. Thanks so much girl!**

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 **Chapter 1: First Day of Horror**

There goes a saying in the human world, that "all men are created equal." Clearly they had never seen the monster world, otherwise they would have retracted that statement out of their declaration. In this world, monsters were created unequal, some not even being born into the world. Some were birthed naturally, some were horrible experiments gone wrong, some were from other dimensions, and some found themselves transported from the world of humans to the world of monsters upon their inevitable deaths.

Vicky was the literal term of being created. She was the most successful reanimation of all of her father's failed attempts, and was an only child because he "didn't want to go through that again". Starting with the body of a child, it was trial and error for her father to unstitch and re-stitch the right body parts to keep up with her growing mind. He even still had her original corpse that he brought her to life in displayed in a glass case in the front of their foyer for people to gaze upon and take pictures at his parties.

He was a genius known through Monstropolis for his rabid creations and breakthroughs in crimes against nature. There was never a worry about money, nor social status, but there was one thing Vicky wanted the most when growing up.

And finally, she was going to get it.

She had waited all her life for this day. No more private schools, no more home schooling, and no more hours spent staring at the ceiling in complete boredom. No, she had twisted her father's arm, quite literally, until he finally relented to her demands. And now it was all she could think about, she couldn't even get a wink of sleep the night before.

"Are you sure about this?" Vicky could hardly hear her father's questioning tone as she bounced up and down in her seat. She eagerly watched the car roll past neighborhoods and the occasional tree set on fire and wondered if that was just a thing in this particular area. "I hear most monsters would jump at the chance to get out of situations like this. Not beg their father to take them there."

"Don't try talking me out of it!" Vicky let go of the window to turn in her seat, a beaming smile on her face. "You said you would let me go and I'm going! I'll never get this chance again if we turn around now."

"But public education?" Her father sneered just when saying the word and gripped the steering wheel tighter. It was actually impressive how he could drive, considering he was a giant pray mantis. "You're way too smart for this cesspool of societal rejects. The only stimulation you're going to get here is the final bell ringing to let you out of this infestation of neanderthals and hooligans."

"No one uses those words anymore, dad." Vicky noticed a strand of hair threatening to mess up her picturesque face and blew it to the side. "Besides, you went to public school."

"And that's exactly why I'm against you going! It was awful, a waste of my time, and certainly nothing I would want to relive." He almost growled when listing off the negatives. "It's not a place for sophisticated and intellectual minds like us."

"Dad, you promised." Vicky felt an oncoming frown when her eyes caught a glimpse ahead. Her eyes widened, pressing herself back up against the window with an over exaggerated gasp. "Oh my god! There it is!"

The giant skull adorning the front of the school was a dead-giveaway from the tour she had gotten just a week before school started, but the giant football field, the outside auditorium and the huge tower off the side of the school also helped. She could feel the car slow as her father parked alongside the curb, her hand almost ripping off the car door.

"Now wait a minute!" Freedom beckoned to her through the small crack she made before her father snatched her wrist. Vicky turned around with puffed cheeks. "I get it, you're excited to go interact with your age group and maybe it was my bad that I didn't make any friends for you to play with. But I'm letting you know right now; if you suddenly realize you don't want this, we can go back to home-schooling and you don't ever have to go through this again."

"Doubt it." Vicky knew her father was trying to be compassionate, so she moved over to quickly kiss him on the cheek. "Don't worry so much. I'll be fine. I'm tougher than I look."

"You better be." Her father let out a hearty scoff. "I paid good money for those super-human limbs."

The two shared a grin before Vicky gave her father as awkward of a hug that can be given in a car. A swift kick to the door was all Vicky needed to blind the car with that taste of freedom and she was hasty to climb out. "Okay bye see you after school don't wait up for me!"

"I'll come pick you up after school! Remember that you're a Schmidt!"

"Yeah, yeah." Vicky did a cutesy turn, all the while helping her backpack swing over her shoulder and slip her other arm through it. She watched her father's car drive past her and down the road, all the while knowing her dad was peering right at her through the rear-view mirror.

She imagined most kids who grew up isolated in their family's mansion would be scared and timid on their first day of school. But not this reanimated corpse; she felt excitement and a longing to scream at the heavens. Finally, freedom!

She almost busted a move right then and there, but something told her that she wasn't fun enough to really pull that off. Perhaps she'd have another moment to do so. Hopefully with her new friends!

She practically skipped towards the school when a blue Frisbee zipped over her head. She eagerly watched it float away and back towards her, ready to jump up and catch it when a voice yelled behind her. "I got it I got it I got it!"

She barely had time to register what to do as the figure smashed into her. She was thankful now that her father had spent so much on her enhanced limbs when she felt the full weight of the monster crush her into the ground, followed by a few more rolls until they finally stopped.

The world was spinning in Vicky's eyes, or maybe her eyeballs had become dislodged, she didn't know. She hoped it wasn't the latter; she didn't dare give her father the smug satisfaction of having her call him before she even stepped into the school to take her home. The figure above her scampered off while she tried to gain her bearings. "Oh man, I'm so sorry! I didn't even see you! All I could think about was catching the Frisbee!"

Oh, a simple accident! Vicky finally felt the world stop spinning, chuckling even. So this was what high school was like! "It's all good! No need to apolo—!"

That's when she finally got a good look at her partner in crime. She could have written the excessive amount of hair off as some big foot descendent, and the long ears could have been simply from a deer person. But the second she saw the mouth full of canines her heart stopped, her hands pulling at the grass beneath her. Dread and horror tugged at her facial features to give her a terrified look.

Her attacker seemed eager to show off the pair of pearly whites, reaching a hand down to her. "Here, let me help!"

He reached his hand out and Vicky gave a slight scream that made him pull away. She kicked at her legs to help her stand and scurried off before the monster could even call out to her. She didn't stop running until she had burst through the front doors and down a few halls.

When she felt she had successfully gotten away, Vicky pressed herself up against a hidden nook between some lockers and made herself small, despite the looks she got from other monsters just trying to get to class. Her heart pounded at her chest and she was almost afraid it had fallen out, gasping and trying to inhale deeply. No doubt about it; that was a werewolf, and the mere thought of his sharp teeth sent a jolt of paranoia through her mind alongside a horrifying memory. The glistening fangs, the loud snarling, and the way it ripped into her arm. No, she wasn't there anymore; she wasn't a little girl anymore. She didn't have to be afraid but god she was. No one had told her anything about a werewolf here!

"You all right?" Vicky didn't ignore the voice aimed at her and steeled herself in case the werewolf had followed her. Instead three pairs of heads peered down at her, the middle one from a black woman with a spit of fire for hair. The other two behind her looked to be a zombie and some shadow creature; she didn't know but was making her best educated guess. "You look like you just saw death."

"I feel like it." Vicky let out a pitiful laugh, still clutching herself tightly. The school bell rang from above, which got her to pop her head out of her shell. "Crap, this can't be happening."

She buried her head and let out a tired sigh. Late to her very first class, she couldn't wait for her father to hear about it.

"You look like you need some de-stressing." Vicky lifted her head to see the woman extend a hand to her. Her smile was warm, just like the embers on her head. "Come on, don't leave us hanging."

Unlike the other hand, this one felt way more inviting, so Vicky wasn't too hesitant on taking it. She helped herself up and moved out of her tiny, cramped hide-out while noticing dust stuck to the sides of her sweater. She probably looked even worse on the back as the hand led her down the hall. "We going to class?"

"Class?" The woman almost laughed. "Nah, that's boring as hell. You won't miss anything. We're going someplace even better."

Even better sounded promising, though skipping class was probably not something she should do. Still, if going by her father's logic that all monsters were neanderthals, and if the neanderthals thought the class was easy, then surely for a mind like hers it would put her to sleep. Maybe skipping wasn't so bad after all. Perhaps she'd gain some foothold into this new school life with this little escapade.

With a small smile tugging at her lips, Vicky hoped that wherever they were going was towards a better morning than the one she was already having.


	2. Outcasts and Choices

Vicky was expecting a cool tree house or an underwater secret lair when the woman said she was taking her somewhere better than the classroom. The stank and dank bathrooms was not what Vicky would even consider a step up from reading her textbook.

"I'm guessing you're new around here?" Vicky poked her attention back into reality as the woman propped a chair underneath the doorknob to the bathroom. Probably to keep people from barging in, but it did make Vicky wonder how often that chair was used for that situation.

"Yeah, a total noob." Vicky replied as she leaned her weight onto the sink behind her. "This is actually my first day at public school, too."

"You've never gone to public school before?" The zombie spoke up with the rest of the group looking at her in mild bewilderment.

Vicky shrugged her shoulders. "Dad never wanted to put me in them, but I wanted to see what they're all about."

"Damn, talk about the privileged life." The woman pressed herself onto the bathroom door. "I hope you know what you're getting yourself into. This school eats innocent monsters by the bowl."

"I think I can handle it." There wasn't as much resolve and confidence when Vicky delivered her line, remembering the recent events. She tried to not let her fear take over again, sprouting a pretty cheesy and fake grin.

The three of them didn't seem to buy her act. "Right."

Placing a hand on her hip, the woman smirked. "Well, we know what it's like to be the new monster at school. So when we found each other we decided to band together to take on the system. You got the popular students? Well get ready for the outcasts!"

Vicky liked the sound of the outcasts as the woman placed a hand on her chest. "Name's Amira, the veteran of the group, four years."

"Brian." The zombie nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders. "I got here like … two years ago."

Vicky turned to the shadow man to hear his name, who instead just shyly looked away. Amira was the one to speak for him. "That's Oz, but we usually call him Ozzie. He just transferred last semester."

"Another fellow newbie. I dig it." Vicky nodded her head at Oz, who just blushed. Vicky felt her familiar smile return, pushing herself up on the sink to sit rather awkwardly. "So, do I get an invite to this outcast group? I wanna join!"

"There's not really a requirement to 'join'." Amira corrected Vicky, but soon flashed a grin. "But hell yeah you can hang with us, so long as you're not a total freak. Jk, we accept those too."

"Sweet!" Vicky shared in Amira's grin. The first period hasn't even ended yet and already Vicky had a click and monsters she figured she could associate with the term 'friends'. "Well, my name's Vicky! This is my first and last year at high school!"

"You're getting in pretty late." Brian commented. "Wish I had the option to only attend here for one year."

"It's not that bad." Amira heard a few knocks come from the door outside. "Occupied!"

"But you've been in there for fifteen minutes!" A desperate plea came from the other side.

"Go use the woods!"

"You can't just monopolize the bathrooms!"

"Yeah? Well guess what I'm doing right now." Amira's grin grew when they heard the monster whimper and trail off. Vicky listened eagerly, a little sympathetic for the monster who had to go, but she never knew the woods were an option. She might have to try that sometime.

"Do you feel better?" A new voice made Vicky turn over to Oz. She didn't see any mouth on him, so she figured he wasn't able to speak, but no one else had an ethereal, resonating voice. Even when staring at him she couldn't find where his mouth was.

"Yeah, just what scared you?" Amira turned her attention away from the entrance. "It wasn't Damien, was it? I told him not to set fire to the neighborhoods when we went to school."

"Could have been Miranda." Brian chipped in, leaning a hand on one of the stalls to realize too late it wasn't locked. He stumbled into the stall but caught himself before he could give himself a swirly. "Did you see her bodyguards? Snapped a poor mummy in half when he couldn't shuffle out of her way fast enough."

The two names didn't ring a bell in Vicky's mind and shook her head. "No, even worse."

"Worse?" Amira lifted herself up from the door, while Brian and Oz exchanged nervous glances. "You didn't piss someone off, did you?"

"Someone put a hit on you?" Brian added in.

"Worse!" Vicky clacked her feet together. "I got tackled by a werewolf!"

"… A werewolf." The intrigue and concern in Vicky's new friends extinguished itself faster than she could blink. Brian slumped his shoulders while Amira went back to leaning on the door. Even Oz seemed a bit bored with her answer.

"What? They're terrifying!"

"The only thing they are is annoying." Amira spat, rolling her eyes. "And unhygienic, and sweaty, and dumbasses."

"The werewolves here are pretty stupid." Brian found more entertainment picking his ear and successfully pulling out a worm before smashing it in his hand.

Vicky would have been more entertained had she not heard a specific keyword in Brian's sentence. " _Werewolves_? There are _more_ of them?"

"Girl, the entire football team is a bunch of werewolves!" Amira threw a hand up into the air. "How did you not know that when you enrolled into this school? We're famous for our team!"

"My family doesn't care for sports! We skipped over that part in our tour!" Bringing her feet up, Vicky gripped the sink underneath her. Her breathing became frantic, startling the rest of the group. "More of them! An entire team of them!"

"Hey …" Oz started when Amira caught him off.

Her heels clicked on the ground when she walked over to Vicky and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Calm down. They really aren't that frightening. They're more bark than bite."

"No, they're very frightening!" Vicky sharply shook her head as she tried to hold herself. "They'll tear into your flesh and rip you to shreds! They'll eat your intestines and laugh while doing it!"

"Sounds like a full moon." Brian added, shutting up when Amira glared at him and Vicky let out a frightened yelp.

"Did anything happen when that werewolf tackled you? What did they look like?"

"Well, he was very hairy, and he wore a football jacket."

"That's about the entire team." Amira spoke in a very flat voice. "Anything _specific_?"

"Oh!" Vicky reeled when remembering the face of her attacker. "He had huge, blue eyes! And sharp teeth! Very sharp, sharp teeth …"

Vicky waited for Amira, Brian and Oz to share the same horror when recalling the monster. Instead their faces grew puzzled, with Oz speaking up. "You mean Scott?"

"Who?" Vicky blinked, finally feeling a little more comfortable to lower her legs. "I literally just got here, the only names I know are yours."

"Well, if you did run into Scott, you got nothing to worry about." Amira took her hands away while Brian ran a hand through his hair. "Guy's more of a puppy than a killer."

Vicky didn't feel any better despite Brian's words and the relaxed looks of her friends. Clearly they didn't understand how dangerous these monsters could be. Only she knew just how frightening they were, how it was better to not associate with their kind at all.

Just then a loud and powerful bang crashed on the bathroom door alongside a loud roar. Oz stumbled backwards, clearly unhinged while the rest of them backed up. Amira cussed under her breath. "Shit! Crazy Martin the were-bear janitor! We've been in here too long!"

"Open the fucking door! Students are pissing in the halls because of you freaks!"

"Time to escape! Brian!"

"Yeah, yeah." Brian was already at the back window, sliding it open and throwing himself out. Oz was the next to dive out, which, if Vicky was the judge of jumping out windows she'd easily give him a 9. Amira was already pushing her towards the window, whispering harshly. "Run and hide or go to class! We'll meet you in the cafeteria for lunch!"

"Uh, okay!" Vicky whispered back, taking a little longer to crawl out of the window and make her landing. Brian and Oz were already gone and she felt Amira push her harshly when she jumped out. She watched Amira run towards the front of the bathroom, holding her hands to the side of her face. "Hey, fucker! You got beef with me?"

"Not you again!" Vicky held her breath when a very large and bear-like person chased after Amira, who was gunning for the football field. "I'm going to whoop your ass so hard you'll be living in detention!"

"Just try and catch me, you lazy ass!"

Amira was so bold in her endeavor to help the team escape. Vicky was so impressed by her boldness; she couldn't do that even if she wanted to. Though, in hanging out in the bathrooms instead of class, she felt just a smidge bolder than before and ran towards the school to catch her next period.

The class was mainly just going over the syllabus for the year, which Vicky had already read over twice by the time the teacher cared enough to start. By the time the lunch bell rang Vicky was more than happy to leave her seat and the dreadful syllabus behind. She was excited, however, for the stuff on the syllabus. She had never cast spells before; her father mainly just taught her how to reanimate life, where to find the best materials, and stitch together dead bodies. She always figured she'd follow in her dad's footsteps and become the next great mad scientist, but becoming a powerful spell-caster also sounded cool.

Remembering the tour, Vicky was able to route herself through the school and towards the large cafeteria. She had just opened the doors when a large and encompassing wave of fire blasted out of the kitchen and spit into the main lunchroom. Several monsters got up in alarm and ran off, though the majority didn't seem to mind the raging fire in the back. Vicky recoiled a bit, she wasn't used to random attacks of fire, but if the population wasn't freaking out, then perhaps it wasn't all that bad.

"Vicky!" She heard her name shouted from the left, noticing a table where Oz, Brian and Amira all waited for her.

She beamed as she quickly made her way over and took the only seat available. "Hi guys!"

"Glad to see you made it." Brian had already stabbed his fork into his unraveled brains and twirled himself a bite. "You go back to class?"

"Yeah. I didn't know you guys learned magic!" Vicky's eyes sparkled while she took out her lunch box and opened it to reveal her lunch. Just a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a bag of chips, which had seemed to be the overall popular choice of lunch amongst all the blogs she read the night before. If she was going to make friends she had to impress.

"I'm awful at it." Amira rolled her eyes while sipping on a glass of something Vicky couldn't make out. "You gotta be pretty creative to get any spell to work."

"Ozzie's a real natural, though." Oz blushed at Brian's words while scooping up some fried rice.

"Creative, huh?" Vicky lowered her sandwich after taking a bite. So this was what peanut and jelly tasted like; not bad. "I like to think I'm pretty good at that. One time I tried to make a brand new creature with goat, dolphin and zebra parts. Dad was so impressed he couldn't speak the entire day!"

Vicky lowered her voice, thinking back. "Actually, I never saw that creation after that day. Maybe it ran off?"

"What up, bitches?" Vicky spooked at the voice that bellowed from the doors of the cafeteria. She swiveled in her chair in time to see a rather attractive ghost float in and lift her shades up off her face. "I am stoned as fuck!"

"You still want to ask her to homecoming?" Amira glanced over to Brian, who simply watched her float over to the other side of the room, where a few other monsters seemed to be hanging out. Vicky watched her integrate herself into the mix seamlessly, perhaps that was her click.

"Maybe, but I'm getting vibes that she doesn't like me that way."

"Wait." Vicky slid back into her seat and towards her friends. "What's homecoming?"

The three seemed confused before they remembered that Vicky had never gone to a school before. Amira was the one to clear up the confusion. "Homecoming is a tradition all high schools have. It's where the school throws a party and all students, past and present, are invited to join."

"A party?" The word made Vicky's heart skip a beat, regaining her grin. "I want to party! When is it?"

"In a couple months, but it's nothing too crazy to get worked up over." Amira took a long sip of her drink. "Now prom. _That's_ the party to get hyped about. Homecoming is a party, sure, but prom is like the crazy after party, and it's _wild_."

"Ooooh." Vicky could almost feel her eyes getting larger in excitement. "I have to go to both! I want to do everything at these parties!"

"Same." Brian waggled his fork in the air, pointing directly at the ghost girl who was laughing it up with her friends. "Hopefully with Polly."

Vicky took another glance at the monster and back over to Brian. "Well, even if you can't, I'm sure it'll be a blast."

"Oh no, you don't understand." Vicky turned back over to Amira after she had stomped her glass on the table. "Homecoming and prom are specifically for dates! No one goes to either single and alone, that's depressing as fuck. The purpose of the two is to be with your date, get fucked up and then, if you're lucky, get fucked up by them."

"Oh!" Vicky's pale green cheeks grew bright red, almost crushing her squishy sandwich. "I never knew monsters did such things at parties. I thought everyone just drunk a bunch and then partied hard."

"I mean, you do, but just think of the sweet, sweet booty you could get to boot." Amira's smile grew; all the while Vicky's shrunk.

"It's okay." Vicky felt a ghastly cold hand on her shoulder to see Oz comforting her. "I'm new to this too."

"I mean, dating would be nice." Vicky smiled softly. She had always dreamed of dating, as it was hard to do trapped inside her house. She wanted to know what it was like to kiss and hold hands and, well, eventually get to sex. The more she thought about it the brighter her blush became. But being able to romance someone before the big dance? "How far away is prom?"

"Relax, you got awhile." Amira waved her a hand. "Focus on homecoming. If you can get your date to go with you to that, then you got nothing to worry about for prom."

"So … a couple months." That was a bit of a constraint, but at least it wasn't something insane like three weeks. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria. So many monsters, all different walks of life. How could she even choose one of them and hope for them to like her back?

Maybe it was her deer-in-headlights look that tipped Brian off, for suddenly he had taken her shoulder and angled her over to the table with the ghost girl. "If you want to score big, you have to hit that table over there."

She eyed the six monsters that sat over on the table. One was bright pink, a fish-person if Vicky guessed right, cheering on what looked to be a demon who was arm-wrestling against—

"The werewolf!" Vicky let out a loud gasp, louder than she had even realized as her legs hopped into her seat.

He seemed to be in just as cheery of a mood as when she first saw him, high-fiving Polly across the table. Brian squeezed Vicky's shoulder, his tone calm. "Relax. That's Scott. He's the friendliest monster you could ever meet."

She didn't feel any sort of friendliness when looking at him, fixated on the long teeth in his mouth. Amira even piped up when Vicky stopped breathing. "Seriously, Scott is a sweetie. Dumb as rocks, but he wouldn't hurt a fly, and if he did he'd apologize profusely."

"He's also very loud." Oz and Vicky flinched when they all saw the werewolf easily hit the demon's hand onto the table and howl in victory. The demon seemed to jump up from his seat and scream in anger before running back into the flaming kitchen.

"Just fyi, Vicky," Vicky heard Amira behind her. "That demon you just saw is Damien and he's my boyfriend. So I'll burn you alive if you even try to go after him."

"Noted." Though, even if Amira hadn't told her, Damien seemed a little too extreme for Vicky. She didn't know if she could be calm constantly around fire.

"Who's that one?" Oz seemed to jump into the conversation when he pointed over to the purple vampire lifting his head up. He seemed annoyed to be between the werewolf and Polly.

"Ah, Liam." Brian let go of Vicky's shoulder. "He's about as hipster as you can get. Pretty pretentious, but smart."

"Smart?" That got Vicky's ears buzzing. She always dreamed of her boyfriend being able to hold a conversation about rotting flesh with her, and she had to admit, she liked those aloof, yellow eyes of his.

"I think he writes poems in his free time?" Amira butted in. "Or something. I don't keep tabs."

"Hm." Oz simply hummed in reply.

Vicky nibbled on her sandwich, eyeing the gorgon as the last member of the table. She didn't seem to be paying attention to what was going on, more interested in her phone than the screaming monsters.

"Let me give you two a summary." Amira moved in between Oz and Vicky, pointing out each monster with her finger. "The pink one is Miranda. She's a princess from a fish kingdom and a psychopath. You got Damien, my boyfriend, and as you guessed he's got a thing for arson. There's Scott, the lovable idiot, Polly, who is down for anything and I mean _anything_. Liam, the hipster vampire and Vera, the cold-hearted business bitch. Despite how they act, they are the most charismatic monsters in the entire school, and everyone wants a piece of their action."

"If you can get a date with one of them, you're pretty much golden." Brian leaned back in his chair, scarfing down the rest of his lunch.

"Golden, huh?" How odd of Brian to mention as Vicky took another bite of her sandwich, gazing deeply at the vampire at the table. His eyes could be called that; how she wanted to get lost in them as they discussed the proper stitching techniques. She knew just who her target was going to be for homecoming and he was going to know who Vicky Schmidt was soon enough.

But when she heard a booming laugh and her attention went to Scott, her stomach sank. This whole school was infested with his kind, and just looking at him made her freeze. Part of her wanted to flee the school as fast as possible, kiss goodbye to society and hide in her mansion until she had enough money to leave the city. But then she could kiss goodbye to the new friends she just made, a possible relationship, hijinks that all students get into, and the dances.

Maybe … she could do this. Maybe if she figured out when Liam wasn't near Scott she could mosey her way over to him and win him over with her smarts and charms. So long as she didn't have to interact with the werewolves, things would be fine, right? She told herself that she would be while taking a few deep breaths.

She could do this. Werewolf or no, she wasn't going to get scared out now!

Vicky was so engrossed in her master plan that she almost didn't feel Oz's hand on her shoulder, nudging her that lunch was over as she tried to eat her potato chips, bag and all. The table that was once populated with the most charismatic students had all disappeared, leaving an empty, slightly-cooler-than-the-rest table behind in their wake. As Vicky left with Oz to get to class, she stared back at that table and wondered if she would be sitting there by the end of the school year.

Having fun, laughing at jokes and making out with the school's certified hipster vampire. She couldn't wait to make her first move.


	3. Frustrating Adaptation

"A what?" Vicky lowered her head, touching at her spaghetti and meatballs with her fork. Her father had nearly gotten out of his seat when she had recounted the day to him. "Why didn't they tell us werewolves went to your school?"

"Apparently we shouldn't have skipped the sports part of our tour." Vicky murmured, not really interested in eating.

"Well, that decides it then." Her father politely sat down, stabbing one of the live crickets in his spaghetti. "You're not going back to that school. I guess it didn't work out after all."

"Dad!" Vicky shot up from slumping in her seat, almost accidentally spearing the table. "You can't do that!"

"You _want_ to go back?" Her father dropped his fork, staring at her in disbelief.

"Well, duh! I just told you I made friends!" Vicky felt part of her resolve leave. "But, I am scared …"

She didn't realize her hand had made its way towards her neck, her fingers hovering inches away like a barrier was keeping them from edging closer. Her father sighed, setting his silverware down. "I can't risk your safety. If one of those mutts should get a hold of you …"

"Please, I don't want to think about it." Vicky snapped her eyes at her dad before lowering them into her food. The sauce looked thinner and redder than she remembered, swallowing. "If I just keep my distance, I should be fine, right? I'm not super pretty and I don't like sports. That's what jocks like, right? Pretty monsters and sports?"

She tried to smile but when her father didn't she dropped hers. Her hands pushed herself away from the table, allowing her to stand up. "I'm not really hungry. Night, dad."

Her father didn't call out to her when she walked out of the dining room, up the stairs and into her bedroom. She silently closed her door behind her and gazed up at the moonlight that bathed in through the windows. A crescent moon smiled down on Vicky as if to wish her goodnight while she drew her curtains over the window and shut the light out. Hiding in darkness, just like she had been doing her entire life.

A lamp brightened her room with artificial light, and she sat wordlessly down onto her bed. Her eyes bore holes into the dresser across from her bed, where empty picture frames sat. She had bought so many to fill when her dad finally agreed to let her go to school in anticipation of all the wonderful photos she'd capture. There were a few already filled from when she was growing up, but one sat faced down. Dust lined the surface of it from inactivity, but Vicky stared hard at the hidden frame. She knew exactly what photo the frame hid and had no intention of revealing its contents.

She thought to her new friends, asking herself if she should tell them. No, she quickly answered herself. She never wanted to talk about the experience again. It brought too much trauma, too much pain that she didn't ever want to live through twice. She would _never_ let herself live through it twice.

A soft knock on her door was what she heard, but she didn't move to address the audience that awaited beyond it. Her father's voice spoke through the wood. "Promise me you'll stay away from them and that you'll stay home on full moon days."

Vicky lifted her head lightly like a light had poked a tiny hole in her darkness. A relaxed, comforting smile rested on her lips as she rested her head. "I promise."

The door silently answered back and she knew her father had heard her. She let her body fall backward and onto her pillows and breathed a tired sigh. "I promise …"

Vicky couldn't remember when she fell asleep, only knowing when she woke up from the loud, insistent alarm telling her it was time to get out of bed. She rushed through her normal routine; brush her hair and teeth, juice up on some electricity, get dressed, eat and nag at her dad to go faster so they wouldn't be late to school.

As they passed by the same neighborhood, not on fire this time, Vicky felt a bit upset with herself with her overall lack of enthusiasm. How she let her fears overshadow her accomplishments, her plans and her excitement in just one day, she didn't know. What she did know was that her mind was too down in the dumps, resolving to fix that today. Today was a brand new day and a chance to introduce herself to that sweet hunk of purple vampire at her school. The thought brought back her familiar smile and a sense of relief.

"You ready?" Vicky hadn't noticed her father stop the car until the giant skull was in view from her window.

She perked herself up, grabbing her backpack. "Never better! I'll see you after school!"

She slapped the car shut, waving as her father drove away. She slung her backpack over her shoulders and inhaled deeply. Today was a new day and it would be better than the first one, she swore on it.

It seemed luck also wanted her to have a good day, for she noticed the local school bus stop nearby and deposit its normal slew of monsters. One of them just so happened to be Liam, who was more focused on his phone than where he was going. He wore a large sunhat, probably to keep himself from combusting into ashes. It should have clashed with his normal attire and yet he made it work.

Her heart fluttered, wondering how she should do this. She could just run up and introduce herself, but that might scare him off with her loud and boisterous voice. No, he looked like someone who didn't like loud people, as she witnessed yesterday in the cafeteria. A more subtle approach would be in her best interest.

Thinking this in mind, Vicky jogged her way over to the slew of monsters exiting from the bus and merged her way in. She tried not to make it obvious she was speed-walking directly over to Liam, who had only lifted his head once to make sure he didn't smack into the front doors of the school.

When she got close enough she forced her goofy smile to disappear, trying to act natural. "Another day, another boring afternoon of classes, am I right?"

"Rrrgh, another band selling out and garnering praise from the masses. There goes all the money I spent collecting their albums." Liam muttered under his breath, not giving Vicky even a glance.

She faltered for a second, perhaps he didn't hear her. "What band?"

"Hm?" It was then that Liam lifted his head. She could see the confusion in his mysterious eyes until they fell into irritation. "I wasn't talking to you. Merely voicing my irritation aloud, like I am doing at this moment with you."

Vicky felt the blow of his words in her chest; she was hoping to not start off on the wrong foot. The damage had been done, however, but perhaps she could salvage the conversation yet. She still kept up with him, who quickly shifted his gaze back to his phone in an attempt to ignore her. "I know only a handful of bands, but it never seems like anyone knows who they are online."

"Is that so?" Liam brought his head back up, gaining some interest in the conversation. "What are their names?"

This was her time to impress. Vicky had just opened her mouth when a shrill cry bounced through the halls. "Liam! I missed the bus!"

Vicky knew that voice anywhere, turning in abject horror when Scott, who towered over most of the student population, came running straight towards them. Liam sighed loudly. "Yes, I saw. You got distracted by the old woman walking her cat _twice_."

Vicky didn't stick around to hear the rest of the conversation as she bolted from the scene. She had to push through a few monsters to get safely away but her escape was a success. Perhaps luck wasn't on her side this time, but she would have more openings, she knew it.

Her next opening came a day later when she had to use the restroom in between classes. The chair had been removed from the bathroom, which she wasn't surprised to see, but she was shocked to notice Liam washing his hands. So they hadn't just crammed themselves into a gender-specific bathroom, apparently, the school had co-ed bathrooms. Vicky was all for this.

"Hey there!" Vicky caught the attention of Liam, busting out one of her signature smiles. "I never introduced myself earlier. I'm Vicky."

"… And?" Liam stared at her with a bored expression and went back to washing his hands.

"Well, what's yours?" Vicky already knew his name, but she didn't want him to think she was creepy by letting him know she already knew.

"Hmph, typical. You just assume that because you say your name that I'm going to suddenly tell you mine? How cliché can you be?" Liam turned off the faucet and ripped a few paper towels out of the dispenser. "But I'll play to your game just once. I'm Liam de Lioncourt."

Vicky couldn't tell if Liam really was being nice, or if he did want to tell her his name but didn't want to make it seem like he was going against his hipster personification. She took her success where she could. "Are you going to hide in the bathrooms during class?"

"Hardly. I don't find sitting in pungent and repulsive bathroom time-well-spent for an afternoon." He gave her a hard, judging stare. "Were you?"

Vicky sucked in a deep breath. She thought of suggesting the two hang out in the library or auditorium when the bathroom door slammed open. "Bro, I smell like shit!"

"That's because you landed in shit!"

Vicky had closed the door to one of the stalls quicker than she could even think of what she was doing. The faint glimpse of the football team was all she needed to know to hide, letting out a groan when she heard the doors beside her shut. Half an hour later, after listening to the jocks rattle on about things Vicky never wanted to think about again, she wasn't surprised to creep out and find Liam gone. So much for the afternoon.

Lunch wasn't any good throughout the week, as Scott sat right next to Liam, forcing Vicky to sit across the room with Oz and Brian. Amira was spending her lunch with Damien and Vicky had to admit, they did look pretty cute together.

When it was time for gym on Thursday Vicky noticed Liam sitting on the bleachers instead of running laps with the rest of the class. She pushed herself to get done with hers early before Coach could catch her for something else and sped over to where Liam sat.

"Hey!" Vicky wheezed in between gasping for air. Liam gave her a disturbed look as she realized too late that it wasn't the brightest move to come over exhausted and sweaty. "Why aren't you running?"

"Luckily, I got out of it this time." Liam held up a small slip of paper, grinning. It was the first time ever Vicky had seen him smile, even if the intentions behind it were mischievous. "Behold! My latest masterpiece; a slip of paper detailing how fatal it would be should I perform physical activities and collapse because of an imbecilic coach not listening to it. I doubt he even read it all before benching me, which was extremely rude. But alas, my plan worked."

"Wow, that's so smart!" Vicky blurted out, remembering to kick herself later for such a stupid remark. She was getting her breathing under control and sat a step below him on the bleachers. "Maybe you and I could make doctor's notes for the entire year. I've been told my penmanship is pretty spot on."

"Really?" Liam leaned a little forward before regaining his posture. "Hm, but wait. Do I really want to settle for something so simple like a doctor's note? No, it needs to be more creative, more unique than that."

"Well, I'm sure we—" Vicky was just about to pitch her fool-proof plan when the fool came running over.

"Liam, Liam! Did you see me just now?" Scott had a handful of balls, all from various sports, amassed in a small hill in his arms.

"What are you up to this time?" Liam humored Scott, but by then Vicky was out of the picture. The doors leading out to the gym were the only indication that Vicky had vanished from the room entirely. She had found another nook for herself to hide in, clutching her beating chest. Every time she wanted to chat with Liam someone or something would go wrong. It was beginning to make Vicky bubble with anger, having enough for one week. She was done with this game.

Thankfully, her last class that day ended early, with the teacher assigning them a project and sending them to the library to get the book they needed. Vicky was a little surprised most of the monsters went straight home, but her ride wasn't going to come any earlier and she decided to get it over with.

She had just found the right book when her eyes caught Liam over at an empty table, reading to himself. No one else around but him. Her eyes scanned the library for a solid minute. No loud yelling, no running werewolves. This could be her only chance to make an impact.

She quietly made her way over, hoping to silently sit across from him and read. She had almost gotten to her seat when Liam suddenly spoke. "I remember where I saw you. You were sitting with Amira on the first day of school, across the cafeteria, pointing at us."

Liam lifted his head, cocking a bored eyebrow. Vicky froze where she stood, gripping her book tightly. "You noticed us?"

"I wasn't getting any reading done." Liam propped an elbow on the table to rest his head. "But I knew if I waited somewhere alone you'd come find me. So tell me, what gain are you trying to get by talking with me? Don't think I don't notice you run off after chatting for a few minutes. Is it a dare? A game to see how long you can stand by me?"

The accusation in his eyes was stern, like if she answered incorrectly he would shut her down and that'd be the end of her romantic love-life before it ever began. Vicky hastily tried to come up with a response. "No, see, I wasn't running from you!"

"Then explain yourself." Liam gestured for the open seat across from him. Vicky sat herself down; her idea of a lovely, quiet evening now turned interrogation.

Her eyes gazed down at the table. "I can't really."

"Then we're done here." He closed his book with a sharp thunk and pushed his seat back. He had just gotten to his feet when Vicky alarmingly stood up with him.

"I've got some skeletons in my closet! That's all I can really say, but it doesn't involve you!" Her hands hovered over her head; all rationality had been thrown out the window. If she couldn't save this moment then she might as well not come back. "I've been trying to talk to you all week, but it's been so frustrating! I just really want to get to know you better!"

Her voice had risen well beyond what the library permitted, eyes twitching when the librarian gave her a disappointed look and a warning by beating its fists together. He stared at her, dumbfounded, and she knew he was going to laugh, call her an idiot and gloriously leave her to drown in her own pathetic tears.

But instead, his cheeks sprouted a familiar pink hue. "Oh. Huh. I'm not used to monsters stalking me."

Stalking was not the term Vicky wanted to be associated with, but Liam hadn't left yet. He sat back down and waved a hand for her to do the same. "Well, since you've gone through all this trouble just to chat with me, I can't see why I can't humor it for a moment."

"Thank you …" Exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed, Vicky flopped back into her seat.

"What did you want to know?" Liam pointlessly opened back up his book. "And my time is very short, so you best not waste it."

Despite Liam's words, they easily sat there for at least an hour just chatting. Vicky just listened to him vent about a band he had been invested in for years before switching topics to other various things. She learned that Liam lived by himself and drove, but stopped driving to school after his fourth car got wrecked in some unexplainable accident. That he loved to blog, take food pics, and stood for everything that was obscure, which Vicky could get behind. When she got onto the topic of her family she was surprised Liam had heard about her father's work, and the two chatted about a topic Vicky could get behind; rotting corpses.

Her last laugh died when she heard the library doors open. Her heart sank when Scott came in, looking more confused than she had ever seen him. "Crap. I have to go."

"Now? But we were just discussing the difference between theater and theatre." Liam almost seemed to pout and for a second Vicky reconsidered her choice.

When she realized Scott was coming over she stood up, taking her book. "We can talk more about it tomorrow. I had fun, so let's do this again!"

She took that as her cue to leave, having already checked out her book beforehand. Her heart beat wildly when she exited the library, her smile wavering on her face before she jumped up and cried. "I did it! Woo! Take that, reality!"

She couldn't wait for tomorrow to hang out more with Liam, and soon enough the next day rolled around and Vicky once more kicked the door shut and waved her ride goodbye. She jogged her way over to the steps when she noticed Liam hiding near the doors into the school.

His eyes were on her, smiling. "Morning, Vicky."

Vicky was not expecting this, but she loved the pleasant surprise. "Morning, Liam! Were you waiting for me?"

"Not entirely, I just happened to be standing here with no real purpose to make it seem like I was." Vicky took that as a yes as she walked up the steps. Maybe the chat in the library had done more good than she had thought.

"Well, let's not be late to class."

"Just one second." Vicky had already gotten the door for them when Liam stopped her. She turned to him idly as he looked her straight in the eye. Her heart skipped a beat. "I want you to meet me in the third-floor classroom after school. Just you and me."

His smile was just as golden as his eyes. "Can you do that for me?"

Her hand tried to crush the door handle, her cheeks glowing bright red. It took a few seconds for her brain to rewire itself and come up with a response. "Yeah, of course!"

Liam let out a breath of relief. "Don't be late."

He slipped through the doors without her, but she didn't care. All her mind could think about was her supposed date with Liam tonight and why he would want to be with her alone. A happy, wide grin spread over her face and she giggled like a child. Maybe dating wasn't so hard after all; she could already hear Liam profess his love to her in her ears.

She could hardly pay attention in class today or hold a conversation during lunch, her mind elsewhere in the clouds. It was almost painful to wait until the end of the day, but finally, the bell rang, signifying her meet up with Liam. She had already texted her dad earlier telling her to pick her up later than normal as she rushed down the halls. She nearly tripped on the stairs when running up them, noticing the door to the classroom up ahead.

She slowed her run to a gentle walk and took a minute to pull out a mirror and check herself. She wasn't too sweaty from her run and her hair wasn't a mess, flashing a big smile to make sure no food was in her teeth. Her eyes then settled on the door in front of her. Just beyond it was Liam, waiting for her. What was he going to say? Why did he want to meet with her alone? These thoughts swirled through her like a shaken mixed drink, excited and nervous for what awaited her.

The closer she got to the door, a feeling of unease settled over her. What if he was going to tell her he never wanted to see her again? What if she looked ugly? Did she leave the oven on?

Physically shaking her head to get rid of the thoughts, Vicky steeled herself. Whatever waited for her inside she would face head on. It was only Liam, after all.

Twisting the handle, Vicky put forth her cutest smile, opened the door and slipped inside. Only there was no purple vampire for her waiting inside.

Scott lifted his head from a piece of paper he had been doodling on, his eyes widening. "Hey, I know you!"

It was then that Vicky heard the door lock.


	4. Self-Appointed Comfort Wolf

Vicky didn't want to know how she looked right now; clearly, she had been played and Liam had caught on. Why he didn't confront her about it, she didn't know. All she did know was that she was locked in a room with the very being she had been so terrified of.

Her hand grasped the doorknob like it was her life, desperately trying to twist it to no avail. She knew how strong the doors were after having witnessed a large monster try to ditch class in the most violent of ways, only to succumb to the might of the bolted door. Another other option was the windows, but she didn't know if her body could take a fall from the third story. Even if she managed to get over to them, there was a high chance they were reinforced to keep people in.

There was no way out.

"Hey, you're okay!" Scott stood up, hands up in the air when he noticed how petrified Vicky was. How her breathing quickened, how her body shivered. "Sometimes I step into the wrong classroom too and it's like 'whoa, wrong room!' But you just gotta remember that you can always leave the room! Sometimes I forget that but you can!"

"… What?" The random response blind-sided Vicky, enough for her to regain a few of her senses. Her hand unclenched the doorknob in the midst of her confusion. "What are you talking about?"

"You didn't step into the wrong room?" Scott also seemed just as confused until his face lit up like a light bulb was turned on. "Oh! Are you waiting for Liam, too?"

"You could … say that …" Her eyes bore holes into the door behind her. No doubt Liam lingered nearby; he didn't seem like someone who wouldn't enjoy juicy eavesdropping.

"Great! We can wait together." Her response was enough to bring Scott at ease, who gestured her over. Vicky made no move to get any closer; she was perfectly fine where she was.

When it was clear she wasn't going to move anytime soon did Scott's ease disperse. "Aw, do I stink again?"

He shot his arm towards the sky and took a long whiff of himself, all the while Vicky disturbingly watched. He was acting so bizarre, so strange. It didn't take a genius to know the football team was pretty stupid, but this seemed a little too much. "Ooh yeah, that's pretty bad! I'll have to hit the showers after Liam gets back. I want my treats first."

"Your treats?" If she was going to be stuck in here she wasn't going to turn down an opportunity to get answers. Playing along seemed like her best option.

"Yeah! Didn't Liam tell you?" Scott lazily sat in his seat while his tag wagged insistently. "He said if I stayed in this room for an hour he'd give me a whole box of treats! And a whole box is a whole box, bro! So of course I couldn't resist!"

He grinned happily but all Vicky could focus on was his perfect white canines. Her hand failed to find the doorknob a few times before it reattached itself; the noise enough for Scott to focus on her actions and frown. "Anyways, sorry about earlier! I didn't realize I stunk when I tackled you. No wonder you ran off in absolute terror! I would too if someone tackled me and they smelled as bad."

Every word that came out of Scott's mouth made no sense. He honestly believed she ran away from him because of his bad BO and that was the reason she still wouldn't get close. It was almost upsetting how thick his skull was, how he could be this dumb. Yet, there was something silly about it that didn't boil Vicky's blood like normal stupidity would. "It's okay. You didn't stink."

"You think?" Scott innocently shrugged his shoulders. "Well, my smelling is pretty honed. Maybe you can't smell as good as I can because you're not a werewolf."

He seemed to laugh at that like it was a funny joke. Vicky just kept observing him, wondering how could such a monster be that dense. No one was that simplistic; it was like he was more a pet than a sentient monster with deep, emotional feelings. In fact, the more Vicky watched Scott interact, the more it reminded her of—

"Don't be shy! You can come sit near me!" She didn't know how she had missed Scott getting up but him closing the distance between them pumped fear directly into her mind. His massive hand reached for her body and her throat and heart constricted.

"Don't!" Vicky pressed herself up against the door, her chest heaving when his hand was inches away from her. He recoiled the moment she yelled, allowing her to continue without it spewing from her mouth in a stream of terror. "Don't. Please, don't touch me."

"I'm … sorry …" Hesitantly, Scott took his hand back and even backed away. It was enough to bring some relief and clarity back into Vicky, who focused more on calming down than trying to talk.

"Are you … scared of me?" His words broke through Vicky's focus, enough for her to stare up at him. The cheerful look in his eyes was now somber, almost pained. It was like the situation was finally settling in his conscious.

Vicky had every intention to scream yes; that just the sight of his kind brought about a panic attack. How she never felt safe when she could see one, how she wanted them all to disappear. How idiotic he was to not even connect the dots until now when she was running halfway across the school every time she saw him. She had every intention to rip into him for all the emotional turmoil he had been causing her.

And yet …

It must have been the eyes, for she had never noticed how innocent they appeared. There was neither depth nor anything about them to give a poetic comparison to the ocean. They were just blue. Simple; like a window into the soul. There was nothing to hide, nothing she couldn't see.

And she saw she was hurting him.

They weren't the same black, emotionless eyes she had seen that very night long ago. No, they were completely different. _They_ were completely different.

All at once, Vicky felt her anger drain out of her body. She felt ridiculous clinging to the doorknob for her dear life as if that would save her if she was in peril. Slowly, tenderly, her hand fell and she spoke so quietly she almost didn't recognize her voice. "No, it's not you …"

"It's not?" The pain and somber look through those windows shut themselves away, now opening up to confusion, relief and what Vicky thought was hope. The hurt was nowhere to be seen and even though Vicky knew nothing about Scott, had no relation to him, that brought relief to her too.

She had never found such easy eyes to read. It was like he laid everything bare to her without even realizing it. There was something almost humbling and trusting about it.

Feeling silly for still standing at the door, Vicky used what little room was available to slip between Scott and walk into the empty classroom. The dipping sun cascaded oranges and dark yellows into the room as she took a seat, sighing heavily.

She let her hands worm together for consolidation, inhaling deeply through her nose when Scott took a seat next to her. Maybe it was because she was expecting it, but she didn't feel as frightened as before.

He looked to her in deep contemplation, like he was attempting to read Vicky the same way she could him. Anything could come out of his mouth at this point, and with mild curiosity, Vicky waited attentively to hear what words of wisdom he would share with her.

"You know what cheers me up? Someone cheering me on!"

She had little time to think over his words when he suddenly pumped a fist in the air, shouting. "Rah, rah, hey! Bad blues go away! We don't wanna be full of hate! We just wanna celebrate! Rah, Rah, hey! Bad blues go away!"

He bared his same Cheshire grin while lowering his arm. "Do you feel any better?"

Vicky was caught so off guard with his cheering that she only caught half of his chant. She wasn't expecting him to randomly burst into rhyming, questioning if he made it up on the spot. It almost reminded her of something she would do to cheer up a friend, and the thought alone made her smile.

"Look, I see a smile!" It turned awkward and forced when Scott pointed at her lips, though he didn't catch on. "I just need to chant harder!"

With that Scott set to work repeating his cheer, which should have annoyed Vicky into wanting to stab her ears out. His happy cheer, though, didn't spur any of those painful thoughts; she even felt her genuine smile return after a few minutes. Never in her life had she met anyone so silly as her; it was almost comforting.

Yet the moment she thought that a rock settled in her stomach, stealing away her smile. Scott slowed his chanting. "You're frowning again. Do I need to say it louder?"

"No, I'm just confused." She gave him a wayward look, her hands squeezing one another. "I'm just a stranger. Why do you care how I feel? You don't have to make me feel anything."

Scott blinked hard. "Course I do! I know what it's like to feel sad and scared. It's not fun! And no one should feel like that. Besides, we don't need to be strangers."

She thought he would thrust his hand out again, only to see he learned his lesson and cautiously brought it near her. "Name's Scott Howl! Let's be friends!"

"Friends?" Vicky repeated without thinking, her eyes staring at his huge hand. She had never touched a werewolf before, too afraid to even think about it. Yet the way Scott had been speaking and acting and cheering so far was all inviting and cheery. Maybe her friends had a point about Scott being different.

Trembling were how her fingers felt to move away from her bubble and closer to danger. They hesitated for just a moment, almost retreating back until Vicky pushed them to make the connection. Finally, her fingers touched his hand delicately; how warm they were compared to her cold, dead skin. They were easily twice, maybe even three times the size of her hands

The fear was too great to transform her touching into a handshake, so she settled with just keeping her hand next to his. "V-Vicky. Vicky Schmidt."

"Nice to meet you, Vicky!" Like a rabbit in a bear trap, his hand instantly wrapped around hers, causing her to stifle a scream. Scott released her hand as it darted away and back to her beating chest. "Oh, sorry. Should have warned you first."

The sound of the door opening was all Vicky needed to hear to know that her time in prison was up. Liam strode into the room, holding a large box of meaty treats. He was the last person Vicky wanted to see right now, especially with his toothy grin. "All right, Scott. I had to run to four different stores but I found your treats."

"Awesome, bro!" Scott nearly flung his desk behind him to get up and out of his seat, scampering over to where Liam stood. Liam let go of the box when Scott ripped it away and ripped the top off to snack on a few. "Thanks so much! You know how much I love these!"

"Not a problem. You helped serve my purpose dutifully." Liam purposely stared straight at Vicky when speaking, who shot him a deadly look.

"Awesome! Well, let me know if you need me to sit in more empty classrooms! I'll totally do it for more snacks."

"Noted." Liam lost his shit-eating grin when he sniffed the air. He recoiled in disgust, clamping his nose shut. "Scott, have you showered today?"

"Oh, right! Gotta do that." Her glare simmered when Scott gave her his own grin, happy and delighted. "Great meeting you, Vicky! See you Monday!"

Having little energy left from the induced fear, Vicky lightly waved Scott off as he bounded out of the classroom. When he was out of sight her fear switched gears into anger, stamping her hands on the desk while standing up. "What's your problem?"

"My problem? Please." Liam spat back. He didn't flinch when Vicky trudged her way over to him, trying to get eye level with the vampire. "I was just validating a hypothesis I had over your certain 'skeletons' and I couldn't have hit the target straighter."

"All right, you got me. I'm scared of werewolves!" Vicky threw her hands up into the air before dropping them ungraciously. "That doesn't excuse you locking me in a room with one! You were being an ass!"

"Oh, look who's calling the kettle black." Vicky reeled back when Liam pointed a sharp finger her way. "Running off whenever Scott came into a room! He may be dumb but even he was starting to catch on to your shenanigans. I had to tell him you were simply training for a marathon just to get him to drop the issue."

The well-manicured fingernail took another jab at Vicky, who cautiously stepped away. "You're lucky it was _I_ who figured your issue out first and did this because if it had been the others I assure you it would have been a much different outcome. You might not have figured this out due to your pea-sized brain but we all stick around each other for a reason. We all care, to some extent, sometimes it feels more like personal gain, for one another. Even I, who couldn't give a shit about society and its social norms even if I wanted to, do have some sympathy for those I call friends, and that includes Scott. And I will not have you treating him like garbage in front of my face for something he probably had no participation in."

A flare of heat rushed through Vicky's face, feeling her hands clench into fists. The way Liam spoke and accused her said he was pissed but she didn't want to back down. "You have no idea what I've gone through."

"No, I don't. And I don't care to know. All I know is you're projecting onto Scott and I won't let you do that." Ungraciously his finger fell to tug on his bowtie, regaining some of his composure. "So I'm warning you now. Lay off Scott and your silly game of running away. You don't have to be his friend and you don't need to pretend to like him. But act _civil_ , if you can at least do that."

With that Liam had nothing more to say. He simply walked out of the classroom and closed the door behind him, leaving Vicky to stand alone in the empty room. She stayed eerily silent until her body shook and tears pricked the corners of her eyes. When she realized this she hastily rubbed the tears away, refusing to cry. She could care less how she felt at the moment and when she left the classroom she slammed the door behind her.

If Liam had still been in the halls Vicky might have yelled at him for another round of arguing. But he wasn't there. No one was. No one was in the hall, in the classroom, not even hiding in a locker. The school was completely empty, just how Vicky felt inside.

She checked her phone briefly to see she had a text from her dad on what time she wanted to be picked up, but simply ignored it. She wanted nothing more than to be alone.

Wandering the halls of the school, Vicky found a spot to sit and reflect outside. She had only been at the school for one week and already she was blowing her chances. She wouldn't be surprised if Liam never wanted to talk to her again after this, wondering if he was going to tell Amira and the rest about her actions.

The surge of anger dissipated into pitiful sadness. Maybe she wasn't ready for school. Maybe she was just kidding herself. Her past would always haunt her, would always cling onto her and suffocate her. She was foolish for thinking she could get around it, that she could get away from it even for a second.

Her lips quivered when she let out a whimper. Her dad was right; she wasn't meant for high school.

"You're still here?" Vicky gasped at the voice, turning her head to notice Scott behind her. His wet hair stuck to his head and he had draped his towel around his shoulders to keep his jacket from getting soaked. The box of treats he had so happily scampered away with was nowhere to be found.

Words and questions were primed on her tongue to escape, to talk, but her fear clamped her mouth shut. Like it always had, like it always did; she felt a rush of anger just thinking about her predicament.

Scott didn't seem to register her conflicted feelings and showed off a goofy smile. "Did your ride ditch you? I've had that happen sometimes. In fact, did I miss the bus?"

He seemed to contemplate this for far too long before the fact hit him like a brick. "Oh shoot! I missed the bus! Guess it didn't help that I sat in a classroom for an hour after school."

He laughed at nothing again, and it caused Vicky's temper to rise. She plucked at the grass beneath her. "But that's okay; I got to see you again! Hey, maybe I can take you home. I could use a jog!"

"No, that's okay." Her tone was more irritated than Vicky would have liked, feeling the anger fester in her mind.

"It's no problem at all! I can easily take you wherever you need to go!"

"No, really, I'm fine." Hastily she turned her head away, demanding that she calmed down. Her nerves were alit with irritation, that the slightest thing could set her off. Why was she so fearful, why was she so terrible at getting over her fears, why couldn't she control herself? These thoughts continuously repeated in her head, over and over, the thoughts maddening, bringing her closer to the edge of snapping.

And then Scott spoke. "Nah bro, I'm good!"

"Scott!" Vicky whipped her head back over to him, taking both of them off guard. "Don't you get it? I'm terrified of you! I'm _terrified_ of werewolves! That's why I've been running away from you ever since we first met!"

She hadn't meant to say that, to say any of that. But in doing so the anger quelled if only a little. The pain reopened in Scott's eyes, grasping for clarification. "But Liam told me—"

"Liam lied to you! He did that because I was being a dumbass!" Tears blurred her vision, coming back at the worst possible moment. She tried to wipe them away but more continued to flow and her mouth vomited words like a waterfall. "I just thought if I stayed away that I could come to school, but I was wrong. I can't get over my fears; I can't stop being afraid. I didn't want you to know but I hurt you in doing so, and I'm sorry!"

Everything she told herself to do, to stop, to shut the hell up and leave were failing. Instead, her body curled inwards and she hid her head between her legs. "I hate being afraid, I hate myself for hurting you. I want to get over this but I can't. I can't! I'll always be haunted by it! I'm not strong enough to conquer it. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry …"

She choked a sob and the rest fell in place. Tears plopped onto her knees as her body shuddered, finally releasing the torrent of her built-up emotions. There was no saving this train wreck. She had never felt so disgusted with herself in her life. No doubt Scott would bare his fangs and call her out for her behavior or downright leave. She hoped for the latter, just wanting to sob in peace.

"Hey, hey. It's okay. I'm not mad." Of all the tones, of all the ways he could have responded, he chose to respond with forgiveness, sickening her stomach. She heard the grass rustle beside her. "I mean, I had a hunch, but I get it now. It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is," Vicky spoke through her legs, her guts twisting so hard she wanted to hurl. "I chose to run away. I chose to make you feel like crap."

"But that's not your fault. You said you're scared of werewolves. If I was scared of something, I'd probably run away from it too."

She choked a few more sobs, not understanding why Scott would stay and try to calm her down after everything she said. She could hear more confusion in his voice. "I can't really stop myself from being a werewolf. I kind of like being one too."

"I know." Vicky sniffled. It was better for the both of them if they stayed their separate ways so that neither of them hurt the other again. It was the only way.

"But … maybe I can help you stop being scared. Like, oh, I could be a comfort dog! A comfort wolf!"

"… _What_?" That prompted Vicky to raise her head. She imagined she looked about as horrible as she felt; with her swollen red eyes, her pathetic, pitiful stare and her makeup running haphazardly down her cheeks.

If she did look like a mess it didn't bother Scott, who bared no hint of anger, spite or contempt at her. He was just the same silly and happy werewolf she had always seen him be. "Yeah, it'll be great! You can use me to get used to werewolves and I can still be your friend! We can play fetch together, and hang out, and talk about your feelings, and play fetch, and bury bones! And if you're scared, you can use me as your own giant stuffed wolf! You can pet me and I can give you hugs! And when you see how much fun you're having with a werewolf you'll stop being scared!"

"… Scott, I don't think that's how it works." Vicky almost couldn't believe what was coming out of Scott's mouth, but he didn't look deterred in the slightest.

"Well, we can try! There's no harm in that! I feel really bad that something happened to make you so scared. So if I can help make you feel better, I want to! Werewolves are awesome! If you're scared, you can't come to our games and cheer us on! That's the worst thing in the world!"

Vicky watched Scott throw a fist out, waiting for her to finish the fist bump. "So let's do this! Let's beat your fear together!"

Her eyes gazed at his awaiting fist and back up to his smiling face. She couldn't remember a time when someone wanted to help her through her problems. When someone wanted to take the time to confront them with her. Loneliness was all she felt whenever she talked about her problems; with either people validating her fears and only emphasizing them or giving her questionable, disgusted looks and labeling her off as a racist.

But someone who wanted to help her through them? She had never known someone who wanted to put in that time and effort, who wanted to give her a hand and guide her through her fears until they didn't bother her anymore. It was … sweet. Too sweet, sickeningly sweet, and it was enough for Vicky to feel new tears fall down her cheeks and a giggle bubble up her throat. So this was what it felt like to have a friend.

"Okay … okay, we can try." Extending her own fist, Vicky's heart fluttered as she delicately pounded it into Scott's. A pact had been made.

"Yeah, awesome bro! We can do this!"

He came in to give Vicky a hug but she thankfully got her arms out to hold him back. "Wait, Scott! Don't touch me!"

"Oh, right." He backed away as quickly as he had come forward. "Sorry."

When she knew Scott wasn't going to lunge for her again her hands tangled themselves into her hair, trying to gain some comfort in stroking them. "If we're going to do this, you have to know that I'm really scared of being touched. I start panicking if I feel trapped."

"Okay. Gotcha," Scott nodded his head. "We'll just have to work you up to hugs."

"Right," Vicky let out another sigh that ended with a chuckle. "I can't believe I'm doing this."

"I can. Because we just said we would." She watched as Scott flopped backward into the grass, stretching his back. "Do you want to start right now?"

"No, I want to do some research first." She glanced over to the school. "I bet the library has a few books on overcoming fears. Would you have time after school to practice?"

"Can't after this week," Grasshoppers flew out of the grass when Scott rolled himself into an upright position. "Gotta start training for the season! If you got time after football practice then we can."

"I'll have to see if my dad will pick me up that late. But it shouldn't be too much of a problem. I can do my homework and study while you train."

"And you can cheer me on!"

Vicky nervously laughed. "Don't know about that. We'll see."

But the more they talked, the more they settled on their plan, the more hope filled Vicky. This was it, this was what she had been missing her entire life. A chance to finally take her fears by the reigns and conquer it once and for all. She almost wanted to screw research and start practice now when her phone went off. She checked it to see a few messages missed from her dad, asking what was going on and that he was waiting out front.

It dampened her mood a bit, but she knew better than to make her dad angry. "I should probably get going."

"Let's exchange numbers before you go." Scott already had his phone out just as Vicky was about to put hers away. "So we can keep up with scheduling. And send funny gifs!"

"Yeah, sure." The exchange was simple and took less than a minute; Vicky now had Scott on her phone. With a light push, she got back to her feet, picking up her backpack. "Maybe we can start tomorrow?"

"I got practice in the morning, but for sure in the afternoon!"

"Great!" She had just swung the second strap over her arm, empowerment surging through her. "I'll let you know when I get here then."

"Have a good night!" Vicky heard Scott cry out as she rushed off and towards the front of the building. Despite the rollercoaster she had been through that day, things were finally starting to look up. She had a plan, she had a goal. She had something to achieve and god damn she was going to overachieve the hell out of it. She could picture it now, herself standing atop of a pile of defeated and rabid werewolves, laughing jauntily. She also saw herself holding a sword, wearing a skimpy bikini and screaming at the horizon with maybe fire spurting behind her, which only made her giddy with excitement to finally realize that dream.

"There you are." Her father spoke as Vicky ducked into the car. She shut the door with a loud snap and buckled herself in. "You never responded to my texts!"

"Sorry. I got caught up in something." Vicky set her backpack in the back as the car slowly drove off.

She quickly checked her phone to see Scott had already sent her a message to test the number. She responded back with a quick sound off and looked up when her father spoke again. "Well, don't you look happy."

"I am." Vicky felt confident in saying so. "From this point on, things are going to change, dad."

"Really? And why's that?"

"Hmm, let's keep it a surprise." Vicky shot her father a playful wink and stashed her phone away. "By the way. Can you drop me off tomorrow? I got a project I need to work on."


	5. Baby Steps

"Tintin!" Vicky's voice trailed off into the darkness, her shoes crunching upon fallen leaves. Trees loosely barricaded the world around her and she was able to still hear the whimsical, classy music from the party at her house. She cupped her hands around her mouth in an attempt to sound louder. "Tintin! Where are you?"

She tried to be mindful of where she stepped; her dress too pretty as it kept getting caught on greedy branches. Her small hands worked the dress loose every time, her young voice yelling. "Come on, Tintin! We can't play games right now!"

A low growl hummed through the haunting air. Vicky gasped, quickly spinning on her heels towards the approaching silhouette. It came from the bushes, snarling like a rabid beast. Her pupils shrunk at the mere sight of it and the unrecognizable mass of mangled bones and flesh dangling from its jaws. It splattered on the ground when it lunged for her with its glistening, bloody teeth.

She screamed a powerful scream and attempted to escape but her predator was too quick. It seized her with its massive claws and crushed her onto the ground. Her petrified eyes stared upwards into the black, soulless eyes of death. The full moon beamed down and shed light onto the beast just as its teeth sunk into her neck.

With a jolt, Vicky sat upright in bed. Her breathing was hysterical, her skin drenched in sweat. One hand clutched tightly at her heart and the other gently upon her neck, as if to check if she still had both. Cautiously, she lowered her hands to place in her lap as her breathing slowed. Her eyes flittered over to the overturned frame as if its presence alone was the cause of her nightmare.

A silent whimper wormed its way out of her throat as Vicky lowered herself back into bed. She made sure to pull her covers over her head and drew her legs up, wishing that she would not continue the memory when she fell back asleep.

As the moon lost its reign to the sun, Vicky pushed open the classroom doors where she and Scott were going to meet up for the afternoon. She had brought her backpack, stuffed with new items she packed earlier that day that would help the two of them with their objective. This classroom didn't bring back any happy memories but neither of them could decide on a location aside from this.

Scott had already beaten her to the room first and even did some remodeling. Most of the desks were pushed up against one another to form a make-shift table, and several chairs were plopped around it. Vicky could have sworn the desks had been bolted down as Scott waved her over. "Sup, bro! Did you just get here?"

"Nah, I holed myself up in the library before now." Vicky took a seat across from Scott, sliding her backpack to the side.

"You should have come over to say hi!" Scott feigned the tiniest of pouts. "I could have used some cheering on today. Coach got on us for letting the summer break soften us up."

Vicky could imagine all the predatory eyes on her if she stepped into the gym; her stomach churning at just the thought. "Maaaybe another time."

Unlatching the top, she easily retrieved the two books she had rented out. Scott had managed to grab one before she could stop him, squinting his eyes and going slow. "'Overcoming Your Fears: How to Live Your Life Free of Terror.' Bro, this is just what we need!"

"Yeah, I picked it up for this occasion." Vicky extended a hand for the book but dropped it when Scott gave her a quizzical stare and attempted to high-five her. She dodged his hand in time. "I haven't read it all the way through, but the important thing it emphasizes is to not rush head first into conquering my fears. It could make my trauma even worse."

"But that's how I solve most of my problems." Scott flipped through the book, but it was apparent how fast he turned the pages that he wasn't actively trying to read it. "Or I beg. Either way, the problem goes away!"

"Well, this has to be dealt with differently." Vicky turned to the other book she had brought, skimming the pages until she found the right passage. "First, I have to identify the fear, which we've done."

"And need to fix!" He nodded his head eagerly; tail wagging in sync with his head bops.

A smile blossomed on Vicky's face at the silliness. "Right. Second, I need to understand why I'm afraid of it."

"Is it because we're big?" Scott suggested, checking himself out. "Or maybe because we like to hide our bones where no one can find them? Or maybe because we run super fast! Or we're soft and cuddly and awesome at football!"

Vicky playfully shook her head, trying to relieve the tension forming in her shoulders. "I don't really want to talk about it. But I do get why I'm afraid."

Her hands raised the book up, creating a barrier between the two. "The third and fourth step is to take action and gradually work towards overcoming the fear."

"Great!" Scott yipped. "How do we do that?"

"I don't know!" With a forced smile, Vicky slammed her book shut. Her figure slumped on the desk, resting her head. "Everything I think of makes me freak out …"

Laying her head down calmed Vicky, even made her a bit sleepy. She had failed to fall back asleep that morning so her energy levels were dangerously low, even after her quick juice of electricity. Perhaps a nap would ease her frustration.

Her mind snapped awake when she felt Scott take her hand. She sat up like she had sat upon a pin, yanking on her hand which was caught in Scott's fingers. "Scott! Not cool!"

"Sorry!" His hand opened up to allow her hand to rush back to its owner. "I wanted to see if your hand was still cold."

"What?" Vicky gently gripped the hand that was touched and quell her beating heart.

"Your hand!" Scott restated. "It was icy yesterday. You should probably wear some mittens to keep them from getting so cold."

"Oh." Her fixation with her hand vanished. "Scott, I'm a corpse. My body can't regulate its body temperature."

"You mean you're undead?" Eyes squinted, Vicky felt the full gaze of Scott upon her. "Well, you are pretty pale and you got stitches all over your body. But you aren't missing chunks of your body like Brian is and he doesn't have those bolt thingies."

"Brian is a zombie. He was probably brought to life by magic." His eyes let up as Vicky placed her hands on the table. "I was brought to life through calculated planning, precision, and lots of electricity! But I am still a corpse, though, technically not a zombie."

"I didn't know there were different types of undead!" Vicky flinched when Scott entered her personal bubble for the second time, his tail continuing to wag behind him. "I only knew about ghosts and zombies, but now I know about electric zombies!"

He offered his hand. "Can I see it again? Please?"

Vicky would have corrected him about the term but his eager stare cut through her train of thought. Hesitantly, she held out her hand for Scott to hold. She expected his grip to be iron like the rest, but his fingers held her loosely. His fingers brushed over her skin; dry and rough, yet oddly comforting. They were still just as warm as they were yesterday, if not warmer. No one had ever held her hand in such a way, feeling a small blush powder her cheeks.

"You're so soft." Scott absentmindedly commented as he took one of her fingers and lightly squeezed it. "And squishy."

The giggle escaped her lips without a thought, nervous and light. "Thanks."

She didn't know how long she had let Scott touch her hand but didn't mind until his hand traveled farther up her arm. The comforting feeling zapped away as fast as Vicky withdrew her arm. "Okay, that's enough."

"I never knew corpses were soft." Even when Vicky drew back Scott leaned forward. "I should touch Brian to see if he's also soft!"

The idea alone sent Vicky's mind into overdrive. Brian gazing softly into Scott's eyes as the werewolf worked his shirt up over his head, drawing his hands down his chest. Her faint glow burst into a bright shade of red, her mind unfocused and somewhat aroused by the picture.

"Vicky?"

"Er—uh, y-yeah …" Vicky blinked several times to try and wake herself up. "You should totally do that. And let me watch. For research purposes."

She took a few breaths to settle down; it was back to work. "Anyways, that was a lot better than I thought. I didn't tense up as much when you touched my hand."

When she glanced over to for validation he had his head buried in the book he took. Literally. Vicky hadn't even noticed him open it in the first place. "Scott?"

With a sudden loud gasp, Scott shot up from the pages. "Vicky! Look here! Right here!"

The book was then shoved into Vicky's face, which she did not appreciate in the slightest. She wrestled with Scott for a moment to push it back enough to read the passage. "'Studies have also shown that exercise can help lower the adrenaline and release endorphins to help your mood when it comes to traumatic stress.'"

"Do you know what this means?" Scott nearly threw the book to the side, but thankfully two fingers kept it from barreling into the door. "We gotta get you up and moving! 5-mile jog, let's go!"

"Huh?" But it was all Vicky could say before his massive hand wrapped around her small one. The surge of panic jolted through Vicky again, but not quite as bad thanks to their earlier exercise. It was enough to throw her thoughts out of order and enough time for Scott to pull her out of her seat and out of the classroom. "W-Wait! Scott! I don't want to jog!"

"But the book says it'll help! And exercise is always good!" Scott called out behind his shoulder while Vicky struggled to keep up.

"Can't we do this another day?"

"Nope! The book says so! Let's jog, let's run, and let's get sweaty!" Scott was grinning from ear to ear, she had never seen him so excited before. His excitement was contagious, feeling a smile purse her lips and wipe away her earlier hesitation.

Her feet tried to keep up, pushing herself to jog faster. "Hell yeah, let's do this! Let's get super sweaty!"

Just as she was ready for the workout of her life Scott pushed past the gym doors and into the locker room. Her energy and excitement slowed when their run turned into a walk. "Why are we here?"

He led her over to what she assumed was the closet and opened it. Between the football helmets, the hockey sticks and baseball bats was a cardboard box labeled 'Jim Clothez' that Scott picked up. "To get dressed, bro! You're nuts if you think you can work out in that!"

He then pointed to her long-sleeved sweater and jeans. "Gotta wear clothes that breathe!"

Into her hands, he delivered a small shirt and short shorts. She gave them a quizzical stare while he picked out a size for himself. "Isn't this stealing?"

"Nah, Coach is totally cool with us taking them!" He slung his own pair over his arm. "He constantly has to order more whenever we go wolf and tear our gym clothes. He loves it so much, he cries whenever we go wolf! At least, he's crying whenever I remember turning back."

Vicky didn't think the Coach was crying tears of joy in that situation, but Scott probably knew the Coach better than she did. And free clothes were free clothes, which were always great. "Sweet! I'll get dressed then."

"Same!" Vicky was about to turn and head off to the female locker room just as Scott pulled his shirt over his head. Vicky nearly dropped her clothes, her mouth falling open. "Sc-Scott, oh my god!"

"What?" Scott lowered his arms, his shirt taught between the two. It covered up most of his exposed chest but she could still see parts of his six-pack, his toned pecs and the hair that tried to cover it all. "I gotta get dressed too. In fact, you can't dress here! This is the guy's locker room. You need to go over to the girl's locker room."

Vicky didn't fight Scott as he pushed her down the hall and over to the door that divided the two locker rooms. With one stroke he had opened the door and scooted Vicky to the other side. "I'll be waiting in the gym when you're done!"

"… Okay." Was all Vicky would mutter, her eyes still trained on his muscled body before he closed the door and left her alone.

Her mind felt completely shaken, her cheeks so hot someone could fry an egg on them. She always found smarts to be attractive but damn, Vicky couldn't ignore a Greek god's body.

Her thoughts turned back to her previous picture, of Brian and Scott touching each other, exploring one another's bodies. It was a delightful image when she suddenly saw herself in Brian's position, her hands tracing over his skin, fingers tangled in all the hair. A tight, constricting feeling shot through her body, her thighs squeezing together as she tightly wrung out her gym clothes. She hastily began to think of other things to calm herself down. The last thing she needed to be was hot and bothered while trying to work out.

After thinking of Principal Giant Spider in a speedo she was completely calmed— if not extremely disgusted— and changed into her new gym clothes. Like Scott said he was waiting for her in the main gym, which was completely deserted save for them. Looks like the rest of the players and the Coach seemed to have left, which Vicky had no complaints about.

She ignored the incoming thoughts of Scott's chest when walking over, keeping her eyes on his face. Scott eyed her up and down when she came over, something Vicky hadn't seen him do before. "You look great!"

"I feel sweaty already." She flashed a cheesy smile, hoping that her clothes would still be in the locker she stashed them in when they returned. "So, what now?"

"Now? Now we jog!" He gestured her to follow, already bounding away.

Vicky was caught off guard until she kicked herself to jog after him. "Hey, wait up!"

"Nope! Gotta keep up!" Vicky had already seen Scott run during gym, but apparently, he had been holding back. She had to push herself to even try to keep up.

Scott didn't just limit himself to the gym. Pushing through the exit doors, Vicky left the polished gym floors onto the grass outside the school and to the springy rubber mat of the track. She was already heaving before they even made the first lap. "Scott! … oh god. Please … just slow down! This … this isn't making me feel … any better!"

"We just started!" But Scott did coming running back to her, so that helped slow her run into a needed jog. He flawlessly spun on his heels, jogging backward. "Come on! We're going to outrun your fears!"

" _Literally_?" Vicky shot Scott a dumbfounded stare, wondering if this was what Scott actually thought the book meant.

"Of course! Your fears can't catch you if you're faster! That's why people say that!"

She pondered for a second if there was an end to Scott's pure idiocy and how he had lasted all the way to high school. And yet despite his imbecilic nature, it didn't turn her away. If only it was just that easy, it would make her train every day with Scott. Her legs were burning with a nice, hot sensation while she worked on her breathing. "Okay! Let's do it! Let's … let's outrun them!"

"Yeah!" Vicky nearly lost her gait watching Scott leap into the air. He landed gracefully on his feet, keeping his stride like he hadn't just bounded off the ground and almost several feet into the air. He pumped a fist to get her attention. "Repeat after me! I'm not afraid!"

"I'm … I'm not afraid!" Vicky wheezed through deep breaths, her primary focus was not to lose Scott.

"I'm totally over my fears!"

"I'm totally over … over my fears!"

"Louder!"

"I'm totally over my fears!" Vicky shouted while pushing herself dangerously close to her limits. The pleasant burn from working out was now heating up into an uncomfortable, stinging burn. Her legs wobbled with every step, watching Scott get farther and farther away with each step. "Scott! I have to rest! I can't go on!"

She didn't even wait for his reply before falling to her knees. Her chest heaved, her legs taking the full brunt of the strain and gelled like pudding. Scott came running over, kneeling close. "Maybe you pushed yourself too hard. Did you stretch?"

"Stretch?" Vicky had heard that term, but she always believed she was limber enough to skip it.

Scott's eyebrows nearly shot off his head. "You should always stretch before exercising, bro! Do you want to tear your muscles?"

The next moment Scott was coming too close for comfort, arms wide open. "I'll take you in."

"No! Don't touch!" Vicky batted his hands away, which only sent her falling onto the track. Her legs did not appreciate the sudden change in stance and she hissed in mild pain. "Just go get me some water. I'll be fine after a break."

He hesitated on her words for a brief moment before slowly rising to his feet. "All right. You stay here and rest."

She watched him sprint off towards the school, giving her some room to breathe. A long sigh escaped her lips, questioning why she was doing this. Why he was doing this. His behavior made no sense to her; he acted more like a family pet than a murderous hunter of the forest. Maybe she was completely wrong about wolves; maybe they were all super friendly and likable like Scott.

By then said werewolf had already come back with water bottles in arms. He eagerly offered one to her while taking his seat. "Here you are!"

"Thanks." She gingerly took the bottle, careful to not touch his hand and gulped down half of the bottle on the spot. The coolness of the water was already refreshing against the beating sun.

Scott took his own drink before setting his bottle down. "So? Do you feel any better?"

"Not really, just sweaty." One of the sensations Vicky hated the most. Being cold sucked, but at least she didn't sweat. "I don't think this is what the book had in mind."

"But it said to exercise!" Scott leaned his hands back to prop himself up. "But maybe I did push you too hard. I keep forgetting most monsters aren't werewolves. I'll go slower next time."

"That would really help me." Vicky didn't think she could do another day of this. Considering how often Scott forgot not to touch her she doubted that the next time they exercised he wouldn't pull the same stunt.

Taking another drink from her water, she stared at Scott until he noticed her. "Why aren't you more aggressive, Scott?"

The question was out of left field and it showed on Scott's face. He set his water bottle down. "What do you mean?"

"I mean …" She sat criss-cross, resting her bottle on her legs. "Aren't wolves supposed to be territorial and attack anything that isn't their own?"

"Eh, that's kind of hard to answer." From the creases in his face to the way he fiddled with his bottle, it was clear how awkward and uncomfortable the subject was to him. "I mean, we can be those things, but they aren't what define us. My cousins do that a lot, but I don't like to be aggressive. I like being nice and happy, which means other monsters will be nice and happy back to me!"

Vicky let out a light chuckle when his tail wagged along with his mood. "You're more like a dog, Scott."

His tail ceased its wagging, giving a small pout. "Hey, I'm a wolf. There can be friendly wolves."

"Well, you're the first one I've ever met." Vicky smiled for a brief moment when an idea popped into her head. She sat straight up. "Wait, what am I doing?"

"Talking to me?" Scott felt the need to answer.

"Well, yeah, that!" Vicky still shook her head to Scott's answer. "I mean, why aren't I looking into werewolves? How could I be so stupid? My fears are based on one experience, but there's a world of information out there about werewolves! If I could learn a bunch of crap about your kind, then maybe with solid facts I can kick this fear once and for all!"

"Wow, that's so smart!" Scott's tail resumed its happy wag. "Can I help?"

"Of course, you're going to be the subject of my research!"

"Awesome!" He pumped his fists back into the air, prompting another smile from Vicky. "And we can continue our exercise routine?"

"Sure, why not." Vicky felt generous after realizing the error of her ways. Finally, progress. Things were beginning to look up.

"Hey, bro! There you are!"

Like rain on her parade, Vicky tensed at the unfamiliar voice. Her head turned to notice the entire football team running over to them. Even if her legs were gelatinous she wasn't going to stick around and was already crawling onto her feet to make her getaway.

Her feet barely touched the ground when Scott's hand grabbed her wrist. She jerked back, tugging on her hand forcefully in a hurried, tense voice. "Scott oh my god give me my hand please Scott don't do this to me."

"Hey, bros!" If Scott had heard her he was clearly ignoring her. His other hand waved them over, trapping Vicky with him.

Her fears crawled through her body like a swarm of ants when she realized she had no escape and she ducked behind Scott for coverage. If she couldn't get out of this situation she wasn't going to leave herself open.

The pack of werewolves surrounded the two. Vicky tried to keep herself from hyperventilating, feeling Scott's hand gently squeeze her own.

Unlike Scott, almost all of the football team didn't seem to share his idea for appearing human. Most resembled humanoid wolves, save for one other who looked about as human as Scott. He was front and center of the pack. "You never came to lunch, dog! They were serving hot dogs in the cafeteria!"

"I missed the hot dogs?" Vicky couldn't see, but just from Scott's tone of voice, he took it about as well as someone would hearing their mom got shot. "Aw man! I love the cafeteria hot dogs!"

"Exactly! What was so important you missed hot dog Saturday?"

It was then that Vicky felt the pull of Scott's arm. She resisted but she was barely a match for his strength, being forced into the spotlight. "Bros, I want you to meet Vicky! She's my new friend!"

She tried not to scream in horror or cling onto Scott when the pack closed in on her. They sniffed her from head to toe before pulling away. "Dog, you reek of fear! What, you scared of us?"

"Oh, she's just terrified of all werewolves!" Scott happily replied, making Vicky want to go crawl somewhere and die. "But I'm helping her through it!"

"Scared, huh?" Vicky pressed herself up against Scott when the supposed leader came closer. His eyes glinted with mischief as he grinned a mouth full of sharp teeth. "Just like we like our meals. Right, dogs?"

The rest of the pack chuckled in agreement. Vicky felt the entirety of her fear resting in her throat, waiting for the smallest of replies so it could jump out and deafen everyone around her. Again, she felt Scott squeeze her wrist, pulling her away from such thoughts. "She wants to know all about us. So could you help her out?"

"Oh sure, Scott, with pleasure." The pack slowly withdrew, the leader still grinning. "We'll teach her a lot about werewolves."

"Great! Thanks so much!" Scott matched the leader with his own grin.

Vicky was sure the pack was going to do something to her then, with Scott blissfully watching without a care in the world. Instead, they withdrew when the leader nudged his head. "Anyways, we practiced, we ate, let's go home, Scott. We're going to dig such deep holes; no one is going to find our bones when we're done!"

"Bury bones and dig holes? Sign me up, I'm there!" And just like that, it was over. Scott let her wrist fall as he went around her to join the rest of the football team, who were whooping and hollering over where they were going to put their bones. One thing she noted was his tail as he mixed into the crowd. It wasn't wagging like usual when he was happy; instead, it was tucked between his legs.

When the pack was visibly gone did Vicky cover her mouth with her hands and let out a loud scream. She did this a few more times before running around in circles, trying to get rid of all the energy from her flight response going wild during the conversation. She made it all the way back over to where she and Scott sat, noticing the water bottles.

She kicked one in anger, only to grace its side and flop to the ground. "Thanks a lot, Scott! _Thanks_! Thanks for telling the entire team about my problems! It's not like I had enough trouble with just one werewolf!"

With a final scream, she dropped onto the grass, giving zero shits. She gave every passing cloud a death glare until she buried her head in her hands and groaned. This is not what she wanted, this was the last thing in the world she wanted to happen but the damage had been done. She was now to expect the rest of the football team to 'help' her in her endeavor. If Scott came trotting back she'd kick him in the rear for this.

Letting her hands fall to her side, Vicky held up the wrist Scott had tightly held earlier. She couldn't explain it, but somehow his grip seemed to calm her just the tiniest bit when the wolf pack came over. If he hadn't done that Vicky probably would have broken down crying or tried to escape with her legs and arms flailing everywhere like a giant inflatable tube-man.

But something about that grip, the way he snatched her and held her hinted at something else. Scott could be brain dead at times but it didn't seem like one of those moments. He wanted to keep her there with him and she didn't believe it was just because he wanted to introduce her to the pack.

Giving her hand one final stare, she let out a defeated sigh and let her hand flop into the grass. She was exhausted, overworked and stressed out of her mind. The only thing she wanted to do now was forget about the rest of the day and just nap. With the clouds occasionally passing over the sun, the soft grass and her exhaustion, Vicky achieved just that.


	6. Bits and Pieces

Since that moment with Scott on the track, Vicky had been in overdrive. She read her way through both books she had picked up from the library by the end of Sunday and began her studies on wolves that night. She scoured the internet, compiling every piece of information she could find into a notebook and leaving herself room to catalog notes when it came time to sit Scott down and go over them. She had never felt more ready in her life to brutally slaughter her inner demons.

A sudden announcement took the class by storm Monday morning. Apparently, it was a tradition at Spooky High School for the senior class to put on a play for the rest of the school and that they were to report to the auditorium for the first half of the day.

This was how Vicky found herself wiggling into her knight costume in the girl's dressing room. There was no audition, no practice, not even a prompt of what the class was going to put on. They just had a grouchy slime monster give them one look before announcing their role, shoving them a costume and then sending them to the back. Vicky couldn't complain too much, she was born to slay dragons, or at the very least, metaphorical ones.

"How do they expect me to wear this?" Vicky had just strapped on her helmet and waltzed her way out of the dressing room when she heard the shrill cry.

Miranda was not in costume yet, simply holding hers out in disgust. An innocent baker's uniform dangled from her fingers. "Don't they realize that I'm a princess? Where is the elegant dress? The abundance of jewels? My mandatory serfs to cater to my every whim?"

"It's called acting, Miranda." Liam had already gotten dressed as well, stepping over to her side. Vicky's heart stopped cold, remembering how tense and angry he was when she last saw him. He eyed her just once before looking back over to Miranda. "The time when one can shed their pretenses and ideals to take on a role they were destined, or foolishly cast, to be."

"The only role I'm destined to play is a princess, Liam," Miranda said curtly before sneering. "How is my prince supposed to find and save me if I'm dressed as a baker? I don't even look good in peasant brown! I will not tolerate this!"

Miranda was the center of attention, but Vicky couldn't stop staring at Liam. She had to find a moment alone to talk to him, to try and patch up what happened before the weekend.

As if to answer her prayers Oz gallantly strode over, his cape whirling behind him from the musketeer outfit he was given. He even gave himself a mustache, which Vicky had to admit was adorable. "Don't you see, Miranda? You're not a baker. You're uh … the princess of baking! They just mixed up your costume and gave you a regular baker's outfit."

Oz glanced at Liam confidently, as if to ask for his approval. Vicky wondered when Oz had become friends with Liam but Miranda's sudden and sharp gasp took them all by surprise. "A princess? Of baking? Why that sounds positively delightful! Of course, they should have never given me this ugly attire by mistake. I nearly had someone's assassination planned over it!"

She threw it to the side like a used up tissue. Oz nearly backed up when Miranda came towards him and snatched his hand. It didn't help when her bodyguards were suddenly behind Oz, in case he tried to run. "Come, we must rectify this situation! Let's find that foolish director and help remind him of what I should be wearing!"

"Bu-But!" Oz turned desperately back towards Liam as if pleading to him to get him out of his situation. When Liam scrunched his eyebrows in a questioning way and didn't move to help him Oz adopted a wide and thoroughly screwed expression. Vicky felt some sympathy towards Oz's cause and would have traded with him but she needed this moment more than ever.

"Don't forget all the jewels!" Vicky knew by the hard glare Oz shot her that she'd have to owe him one for this as Miranda dragged him away.

"Well, I see you haven't changed your tune." The deep and cold tone belonged to only one person. Vicky didn't need to turn around to know Liam had come over, but she did so anyway.

"Liam, I'm so sorry. You were right about everything you said."

"Sorry? Why are you apologizing to me?" Vicky was taken aback by Liam's words. He boorishly glanced around the stage. "I was merely telling you how I felt about the situation. Don't apologize like you somehow wounded me and that I was so dejected I cried into my lavish pillows all night."

What Vicky thought was going to be a tender, heart-filled moment died then and there. Her mood soured, puffing her cheeks out. "Well, I can take it back if you want."

"Take it back if you feel that rejected over it. But I will take your compliment about me being entirely right." He pulled on his jacket, his smug grin returning.

The condescending tone, the haughty nature, down to him locking her in a room with Scott just to prove his hypothesis correct. Vicky wondered how she ever thought dating this loser was the ideal relationship. She would have slapped down her helmet, strode off with what little dignity she had left and ended her route with him if Liam hadn't continued to speak. "Besides, you seemed to have fixed the situation on your own. Scott wouldn't shut up about him helping you and how happy he is to enlighten you to the love of werewolves. I had to silence my phone just to sleep."

"Oh god, really?" Vicky felt the heat of embarrassment wash over her. First the Wolfpack, now Liam. She didn't want to know how many other monsters Scott blabbed to at this point.

Liam nodded his head. "There's not a lot Scott won't get excited over, but he seems grossly engaged in this. You're making him happy and … I appreciate that."

The way he tried to hide his glowing cheeks, the slight crack in his façade to show a gentler, lovable dork. It reminded Vicky why she was going after him, reinvigorating her to try again. She moved closer to Liam and swung her arms behind her back for maximum cutesiness. "Well, if there's anything else I can help you with …"

"Now that you mention it …" A rush of excitement beat through Vicky's chest at the proposal. She started to lean closer when she was stopped by the hand Liam held out. His dead-panned stare didn't help. "Give me 10 dollars."

"Excuse you?" She lifted herself back up, her arms falling out from behind her.

"You told Scott I lied to him. Do you know how dejected he was about that? I told him I'd buy him four boxes of those treats he likes, but because you're the one who told him it only makes sense that you pay for them."

His stared hardened, flexing his fingers for Vicky to pay up. "I shouldn't have to pay for that! It was your fault you lied to him!"

"I was making him feel better over the train wreck you laid at his feet! You didn't even have to tell him I lied, that wasn't your call!"

"Hey, bros!" Liam and Vicky snapped their mouths shut the moment they heard Scott's voice.

Vicky stiffened her back like a pole had been shoved through her spine while Liam recomposed himself. At first, Vicky didn't know where Scott was aside from the giant tree that came at them. Then it hit her like a brick; the tree _was_ Scott. "How do you like my costume? I'm a tree!"

"It suits you." Liam sized Scott up, from the giant paper foliage sprouting around his head to the inappropriately placed bird right near his crotch. "You couldn't have been picked for a more perfect role."

"Right? I piss on them all the time, so I know how a tree acts!" He grinned his usual carefree grin and once more Vicky's eyes were on his teeth. Fear should have overtaken her senses, only she felt a small prick of nervousness instead. Perhaps it was because she saw no malicious intent with his goofy grin or the fact that she'd been hanging around him more often. Either way, the teeth weren't so scary to her, which made her feel accomplished.

Just as Liam had eyed Scott, he was doing the same back at them. She felt Scott's gaze linger on her longer than Liam, his grin stretching. "Awesome knight costume, Vicky!"

"Thanks!" She grabbed the hilt of her cardboard sword but failed in unsheathing it when it got caught. When she finally got it unstuck she hoisted it towards the ceiling. "Men, get me my steed! We must make haste to save the princess!"

"Yeah! Let's do it!" Scott chimed in.

"What's this about saving the princess?" Vicky glanced over in time to see Damien and Amira stroll over. Like the rest, they were already in costume, with Damien wearing his own barbaric armor and Amira dressed like, well, Vicky couldn't exactly tell. Judging by the skull belt she wasn't a good guy.

"Hey, Damien!" Scott moved closer to Vicky to allow them into the circle. "Vicky's going to save the princess!"

"Hah, tough shit she ain't." Damien sprouted a wicked smirk. "I'm stealing that princess and if she's got a problem with that she can fight me to the death for her!"

Vicky would have participated in the playful banter had she not been beaten to a pulp by Damien last week for just being in his way. She zipped her lips shut to not instigate another round.

Scott, on the other hand, seemed in agreement. "Yeah, fight to the death!"

"Fuck yeah!" Damien hyped over Scott's hype, which multiplied the amount of hype in the room to hype squared.

Vicky tried to make herself smaller as a hand slipped onto her shoulder. Amira gave her a playful wink. "That's enough, boys. You're scaring the lamb."

"Lamb?" Vicky took slight insult to the nickname, puffing her cheeks out in defiance. Amira didn't look sorry even with her pouting.

Damien's smile only transformed into a grin. "Well then, guess it sucks to be you, cuz you're not getting out of a fight with me!"

"Lamb?" Scott spaced out for a moment. "Oh man, lamb sounds so good right now. Or beef, or pork, or chicken, or rabbit, or squirrel! I want meat!"

"Too bad I don't have those snacks yet." Vicky uncomfortably felt Liam's elbow in her side. "I should have them by the end of the day, though."

"Snacks? Where? I want them!" It was easy to tell Scotty was getting antsy with his eyes darting everywhere. Vicky took this moment to begrudgingly scour her pocket and hand whatever money she found into Liam's hand. He gave her a cool smile while she sported a fiery frown.

"Chill, Scott. Lunch isn't until later." Damien seemed to have lost all interest in Vicky, the hype dying down. "Besides, don't you carry emergency rations on you or something?"

"Oh, you're right!" Scott reached a hand into his tree costume, digging around until he produced a large bag of Scott Snacks. Vicky didn't want to know where he kept that as she watched him shovel a few good handfuls in his mouth. Bits of varying sizes flew out of his mouth as he attempted to eat and talk at the same time. "Fhankz Gemium! Ur a wife zafer!"

Vicky made sure to step out of the line of fire as Scott devoured the bag in just a few bites. She now understood just how fast Scott could wolf down his food. Soon after the director went around and made sure all the costumes fit, which actually added up to the director giving everyone a mean glare and telling them to get out.

After that was another class and lunch, where Vicky purposefully went over to where Oz was sitting. His eyes were over to the table Liam sat at with Vera, who were probably discussing how cool they were. His gaze and attitude curdled like spoiled milk when Vicky sympathetically sat down next to him.

She plucked the extra muffin she swiped from the cafeteria onto his plate. "Sorry about earlier."

Oz eyed the muffin for a moment before his shoulders dropped and he sighed. "It's fine."

He accepted Vicky's gift, giving it another glance before his eyes shifted back over to Liam. Vicky picked up on the nonverbal cues. "Wasn't able to sit over there, huh?"

"No, not cool enough." Dejectedly he plopped the muffin onto his tray. "I thought if I bribed Vera she'd let me in, but I didn't have enough money to pay. That didn't stop her from taking what I did have and sending me off."

"I know that empty feeling." Vicky stabbed her meatloaf extra hard just thinking about her lost money.

She brought her fork up to resentfully eat her food when Oz's sudden outburst made her drop her fork. He threw his head into his hands, startling even a few of his little 'friends' to summon and wail. "Why am I so bad at this? Why can't I just know what to say?"

"Whoa, Ozzie, it's okay!" She scooted herself a little closer and placed a hand on his shoulder to try and calm him down. A fierce blow of fear rippled up Vicky's arm, enough to give her goose bumps on her goose bumps and her hand darted away. She gave Oz a quizzical stare, flexing her fingers as the sudden fear melted away.

"I'm not used to putting myself out there." Oz didn't seem to notice Vicky's episode as he laid his head on the table. "What am I going to do? I just keep messing up …"

"So what if you made a few mistakes? It's not the end of the world." Deciding to stay away from Oz's freaky powers, Vicky kept her distance and pat the air above his shoulder. "We still got plenty of time before homecoming. Who are you going after?"

"Uh …" Oz lifted his head, exposing his blush just as it faded away. "Well, who are you going after?"

"Oh, no one really." Her eyes lingered over Liam. "Just the hot purple trash across the cafeteria."

" _You're_ going after Liam?" There was more shock than intrigue in Oz's question.

"Duh. He's smart, I'm smart. We'd make a great couple." Vicky pulled her gaze back onto Oz. "Who are you interested in?"

"Um …" He shied away from Vicky as if her answer made him clam up even more.

Their attention was diverted away from the situation when Brian set his tray down and fell into his seat. "Any reason I should be asking you why Scott felt me up this morning?"

"What?" The news shocked her enough to slam her hands on the table. "He actually did it?"

Brian cocked his eyebrow. "Yeah … said he wanted to feel how soft I was. He seemed pretty disappointed by the end of it. I don't know what he was expecting."

Vicky didn't know whether to feel embarrassed or disappointed. She decided to go with both, letting her blush spread and slump her shoulders. There went her steamy fantasies. "Aw come on! Can't a corpse catch a break?"

"Too bad you weren't there to see your yaoi prompts come to life." Brian sarcastically replied as he dipped his spoon into his pudding. "Next time, let me know about your plans before you have some random monster feel me up. So I can say no before it happens."

"Sounds like you two are getting pretty chummy." The muffin on Oz's tray had disappeared, leaving nothing but a wrapper left. Someday Vicky would catch him in the act of eating or just opening his mouth. "Are you over your fears?"

"Hardly." They could all hear Scott's laughter alongside Polly's, who was levitating a few chairs around their table. "He's trying to help me through them, though."

"That's Scott for you. Always eager to help." Brian's spoon dejectedly hit the bottom of his pudding cup, filling the zombie with mild grief before carelessly tossing the cup aside. "So, you interested in him?"

"Like, dating?" Her eyes went back over to him and the radiating happiness that swirled around him. She felt something flutter inside of her, though she attributed it to her hunger. "Please! Scott's nice, but I could never date him. He's too simpleminded."

"Ditto." As Brian moved onto his actual lunch, Vicky gave him a wayward smile.

"So, any luck with Polly?"

Brian didn't reply at first, simply staring into the distance before letting out a guttural groan and laying his head on the table. Oz decided to do the same, both sharing a pitiful groan. Vicky didn't want to feel left out, so she joined the both of them for a full orchestra of groans and whimpers. They eventually shared a laugh over it and finished their lunches. A few minutes later their laughter changed into abrupt screaming when UFOs crash landed inside the cafeteria.

After one epic space odyssey, complete with a sci-fi pinup of Brian and Vicky decked out in slick, advanced piloting suits and Oz awkwardly clinging to their legs in a revealing slave outfit, Vicky left her space adventures behind to make sure her locker wasn't crushed in the ensuing attack on the entire school. Upon inspecting that it was free of alien assaults, she slammed her door shut and was greeted by a wide smile and razor-sharp teeth. "Boo!"

Her natural response was to scream her head off, nearly tripping over Juan the Small Magical Latino Cat in her pursuit to get away. Standing beside her locker was the same werewolf that Scott talked to yesterday along with a few stray members of the team. They laughed their heads off as Vicky felt her cheeks grow hot. "Holy crap, that was too easy! What's the matter, you scared of the big, bad wolf?"

They snickered some more at their hilarious joke. She knew Scott telling the entire football team was just going to make things worse and she didn't feel so keen to stamp her foot and engage them. With a curt turn, she briskly walked off, hairs rising when she heard them follow. "Aw, come off now. We just want to 'help' you get over your fears."

"I don't want your help." She continued walking off; shoulders tense at the various 'boos' hollered at her. She didn't turn back to give them any reason she was interested, thankful they didn't pursue her.

The day went on normally from there. Someone had summoned demons from a nightmare dimension outdoors during a massive rave, the library was set on fire and a giant Kraken was unleashed into the pool by the afternoon; normal like always.

Today was Scott's first afterschool practice, which meant Vicky had to wait a little longer before she could pull Scott aside to begin her research. She didn't mind, using her time to get the rest of her school work done and laze about. She was in a heated battle with Oz on who could send the funniest memes when she heard loud stomps coming down the hall. She pocketed her phone, using what little time she had to steady her nerves and not bolt into a run when Scott ran towards her. "Sup, Vicky!"

"Sup, Scott. How was practice?"

"Great!" He plopped himself on the long, stone bench Vicky sat on. "We ran, threw balls and we even struck a cool pose! What did you do?"

"Just some homework." Her hands were already digging through her backpack, retrieving her journal. With a careless flip, she tapped her pen on the open page. "You ready?"

"Course I am, bro!"

"Sweet!" Vicky skimmed the facts she wrote down. "Okay … so from what I read, wolves are very territorial and don't like to share their areas with other wolf packs. Is that true?"

"Hm …" Curiously, Scott scratched his beard, his face scrunching even harder with each passing second. "Don't know! My mom could probably answer that question."

"Your mom?" Vicky continued to tap her pen on the paper without a clear answer to write down.

"Yeah, she knows everything." He placed his elbows on his knees. "And she's super nice, too! Not when she's angry though. She gets super mean when she's angry."

"I'll just keep that open." The pen traveled farther down the paper. "Okay, next question: do you have a hierarchy in your family?"

"Hierarchy?" His face twisted into even more confusion. "Is that some sort of weird Uncle?"

Vicky nearly forgot who she was talking to. Big words would have to be skipped altogether if she was going to get anything from Scott. "It's like roles in the family. Someone is the leader, and then you have positions below that, and so forth."

"Oh, oh! I know this!" He sat straight up, wigging in his seat. "Yeah, we have those!"

"Great!" Vicky moved her pen to the first line. "What can you tell me?"

"Uh … hm …" The enthusiasm in Vicky's features turned into irritation the longer Scott kept her waiting. He continued to scratch his chin before it devolved into him scratching his entire head and occasionally his chest.

"Well?" Vicky was more than impatient when Scott paid more attention to the lockers than her.

"You know what? I'm too hungry to do this!" Scott surmised with another oddly placed laugh.

Her pen nearly fell out of her fingers. "What? But we just started!"

"Usually I go home and have a snack after practice. But since we're here, I can't do that!"

"So what, we just stop?" She couldn't believe this; so much for her attempt to understand werewolves better.

"No way! We can still do this but let's go somewhere to eat!" He jumped out of his seat to reveal his wagging tail. "I know a great place we can go!"

Vicky didn't have to know Scott well to know he was easily distracted. One step into a local restaurant and she might as well kiss her interview goodbye. "I won't be that long. Come on, just half an hour?"

Scott didn't seem eager to back off. "Aren't you hungry?"

Vicky had gotten her mouth open when her stomach answered for her. Maybe she shouldn't have given Oz her extra muffin, it sounded like she needed it more.

The damage had already been done, Vicky faintly blushing the bigger Scott's grin got. "That settles it! You need some food, I need some food. It's food time!"

"W-wait!" He nearly pulled her into him when he took her hand, sending that familiar buzz of fear through her body. Like most days the fear wasn't quite as bad when she knew it was Scott who was holding onto her.

She snatched her backpack just in time as Scott bounded off with her hesitantly in tow.


	7. Auntie Bebe's

Vicky had never stepped inside a restaurant that wasn't five stars. Her father was never one to stop at the nearest fast food joint when she was a child, no matter how hard she whined or pulled on his limbs. She always had to dress her best whenever they went out, sitting on cushiony chairs and ordering the most expensive food off the menu. She was thankful her father wasn't the type to get offended if she used the wrong fork or placed her elbows on the table; her father wasn't a stereotypical rich monster. Though, he did like to remind her of how he never got to live like she did growing up and that she should be happy they could afford such nice places.

So for her first outing to a hole in a wall, Vicky didn't know what to expect. A small pub was where Scott had dragged them, which sat on the outskirts of town and in the complete opposite direction of home. The first thing that stuck out to Vicky was how old the building was; from the wearing brick walls to the small holes in the canopy above the door to a few shingles missing from the roof. A worn and sun-faded sign hung atop the pub, announcing, 'Auntie Bebe's Pub and Grill'. Scott held the door for Vicky as she stepped inside to hearty laughter and massive cheers.

The black and white tiles were faintly sticky and dirty under her shoes as she glanced into the tiny pub. Booths lined the wall where the entrance was and beside all the windows, while a bar occupied the other half of the restaurant. Several monsters were already seated and getting drunk, watching a game going on the TV and shouting many cuss words Vicky knew and some she could only assume they made up in their drunken state. Every inch of the wall that wasn't covered in sports flags had picture frames hung up, showcasing black and white photos of happy patrons all the way to more modern and colorful moments in time.

"Come on, let's grab a booth." Vicky was confused when Scott gently pushed past her and took a seat in one of the booths. She had never been to a restaurant that didn't ask for a reservation and someone to seat them, the concept foreign.

As she slid herself into the booth across from Scott her eyes flickered between several photos on their wall. There was a group of young adult monsters, all raising a frosty mug to the camera with bright smiles. Another picture depicted an elderly couple comprised of a gargoyle and frogman as they gazed lovingly into the eyes of each other. She saw a young woman with a bright smile and long hair laughing at the hairy man with the arm around her shoulder, flashing a toothy grin to the camera and a clawed middle finger. Vicky gazed longer at this particular photo, not able to find any horns, scales or anything that would indicate she was a monster. Names scribbled in different colored ink sat at the bottom of the photo; Gloria and Richard.

"What do you think?" Her attention was pulled away from the photo. Scott was also eyeing the same one, only he wasn't wearing his same, signature smile. His eyes looked lost and uncomfortable for a moment until he shifted them back over to her, trying to salvage that smile.

"It's … really different." Her fingers ran over the beaten and chipped table. "I've never been to a place like this."

"What? No way, bro!" There was his usual spike of energy that Vicky had come to associate with Scott. He seemed almost too shocked at her response. "Then you're in for a treat. Auntie Bebe's is the best place in the world!"

"Do I hear a Howl over here?" Their attention diverted to the waitress who strolled over to their table. She was definitely getting up there in age, from the many creases in her face to the hints of white in her tightly wound hair. The were-rabbit had a tired but calm smile on her face and a name tag that sported the name the establishment was named after. "I thought I heard one of you yapping! Where's the rest of the rascals, huh?"

"Hi, Auntie Bebe!" He threw her a cheery grin. It was apparent that the two went way back. "Huh, you know, I don't know! I left after practice to hang with Vicky …"

"Vicky, huh?" It was then that Vicky felt the waitress's eyes on her. "Well, aren't you a cutie. Where did you find her?"

A faint blush stole Vicky's cheeks at the compliment. "I met her at school! I'm helping her with her fears."

"Aw, aren't you such a sweetie. You got a big heart, Scott." The old woman's attention turned to Vicky. "It's always nice to see a fresh face in here than the sausage fest I usually get. Let Auntie Bebe take care of you, child. I'll get some hearty food in that small figure and keep you nice and full."

A menu was smacked down in front of Vicky, courtesy of Bebe. "Now, what can I get you two?"

"I'll have the usual." Vicky didn't even open the menu yet as Scott placed his order.

"The usual, the usual. I should just hand you your order the next time I see you walk in." The conversation continued behind Vicky's menu, who stared in awe over everything presented to her. There were hamburgers, sandwiches, fried foods, slabs of meats; the stuff of dreams if they were also smothered in hot grease.

"How about you, child?" Vicky slowly lowered her menu down to the table, her eyes the size of dinner plates.

Her voice was barely a whisper, tantalizing. "I want one of everything …"

Bebe simply laughed. "You must be starved! How about we start with something more affordable, huh?"

But Vicky was having none of that. Her hand was already in her pocket, pulling out her wallet, slipping out her father's credit card and slamming it down on the table. Bebe seemed a little shaken at her dramatic gesture, her grin widening with each word. "One! Of! Everything!"

She knew she was going to get quite a fight when her father saw the bill, but Vicky knew this would be worth it. Bebe gave her a doe-eyed stare until another laugh bellowed out. "I like this girl, Scott! She's got a bigger stomach than you and that's saying something."

"I'll pay for him as well." What was another order to the massive list of debt she had dug herself in?

"Really? You sure?" Scott seemed slightly resistant to the idea until Vicky held up a hand.

"Yeah, it's no problem!" Not yet at least, but it was worth the smile she got from Scott in return.

Bebe let loose a low whistle and nudged Scott in the arm. "I wouldn't let go of this one, Scott. Definitely a keeper."

Vicky giggled at the compliments, though, a small rock settled at the base of her stomach. It was easy enough for someone to look at the two and figure they might be dating, but she could always diffuse the situation if it got too out of hands. For now, she didn't feel the need to correct anyone.

With their orders placed, Bebe left their table to go deal with a few other rowdy customers. Vicky could already feel her mouth salivating at the sweet, sweet thought of all those deep-fried foods and questioned if a corpse like her could even get heartburn.

Again, she found Scott's attention elsewhere, his eyes fixated on the photo on the wall of the odd monster and the hairy young man. "… Should sit elsewhere …" She could barely hear under his breath.

"Scott?" His silence was something she wasn't used to and it frightened her a bit. He snapped his attention away from the photo and back to Vicky.

"Sorry. Got lost in thought."

Vicky's eyes flickered back over to the photo. Something about it told her that if she pressed Scott on it he wouldn't want to divulge any information and her first priority wasn't to scrounge up drama. "We can sit somewhere else if you want."

Scott had to think for a moment, another red flag to Vicky. "Nah, I'm good. You wanted to quiz me, right?"

Vicky had nearly forgotten the entire reason they met up in the first place, a little disappointed in herself that she let her excitement blind her like that. "Right! Thanks for reminding me."

The journal rested neatly open on the counter as Vicky clicked her pen. "So, hierarchy." She even beat Scott to the punch when he tried to question her. "It means what roles does your family have?"

"Right, right." Scott scratched his head and Vicky feared he would do the same thing he did back at school. Instead, to her relief, what came out of his mouth wasn't a dead end. "Every wolf pack has an Alpha, and their job is to watch over the pack and make sure things are safe and give orders if there's danger. My mom's the current Alpha of our pack."

"Your mom?" She wasn't expecting that sort of news, scribbling down what Scott had just said.

"Yeah, she's great! She keeps all of us safe and we have the best family events! Like football and game night and barbeques and football and tax evasion and football!" Scott had found his upbeat attitude, which relieved Vicky into relaxing.

"She sounds like a badass." Vicky off-handedly commented as she skimmed through her notes. "I also read up that there can be two Alphas at once if they're a couple."

"Yeah, but sometimes we don't have an Alpha male and an Alpha female." Her hands hurried as they wrote down more of what Scott was saying. So his father was also an Alpha if his mom was.

She scribbled a few more notes just when loud thunks shook her away. Several tall glasses of beer had created a barrier between her and Scott. "Here you are, sweetie."

Bebe gave her a cocky stare. "You said one of everything, right?"

Indeed, those were her words. Aside from a select glass of wine, Vicky had never touched other alcohol or seen it in the house. Bebe's stare was almost challenging, driving her to keep her word and snatched a glass. She chugged a few gulps before she coughed up the rest.

"Settle down, girl!" Bebe placed several napkins on the table along with a pitcher of water. "I'll only charge you what you can get down. Sound good?"

"Fine. Keep the food coming, though." Vicky cradled her glass, taking another sip when Bebe left.

Scott never took his eyes off of the drinks. "Can you drink this much beer?"

"Nope!" Was her chirpy reply as she took another sip. "But you're welcome to have some."

"Really? Sweet, free beer!" He took the nearest glass, raising it. "To being an awesome bro!"

Vicky could toast to that, watching Scott down the entire glass in a few gulps while she struggled to get half of hers down.

From then time seemed to slip away. The two conversed about werewolf nature while wolfing down whatever food came out of the kitchen. Vicky officially found love in French fries while Scott's usual consisted of a raw T-bone steak and a mountain of bacon and gravy-covered French fries with, of course, a pickle on the side. Maybe it was the beer that made it so funny, for when Scott jumped for joy after he found a bone in his cut she couldn't help but laugh. She learned about Scott's favorite hidey holes for his bones, what animals he was and wasn't okay with and even an adventure he had in finding some giant forest animals that wanted to make him their king, but he declined as he didn't feel worthy enough to rule over them.

By the time Vicky checked her phone, it was well past eight, the sun was setting and her cheeks and stomach glowed with warmth. Scott didn't look to be as intoxicated as her, lowering his frothy glass. "You okay, bro?"

"What?" Vicky slurred, her hands failing to grasp her glass. "I'm fine! Never better! Another beer and more fries!"

Her hands finally curled around the glass at the same time Scott pinched the top. He easily pulled it out of her hands, resulting in her scowling. "Hey! That's mine."

"Nah, I think you're done." To emphasize his point he pushed the rest away from Vicky's grip, who merely opened and closed her fingers until she solely fixated on that. "Have you ever gotten drunk before?"

"Nnnnnope!" A giggle escaped her lips. "But I feel great! The world is my oyster! Give me my beer!"

Again she attempted to snatch the drinks, shooting dirty glares at Bebe who came around and picked up the filled glasses. She gave Vicky a sympathetic smile. "Maybe I should have done this before you got drunk off your ass."

"Done? Done what?" The world felt like it was spinning as she blinked out of sync.

Bebe picked up the old camera attached to her apron. "Why, take your picture! We make sure to snap photos of every new customer!"

"Oh, picture time!" Vicky could hardly register what was going on; only that Scott now sat in the same booth as her. Her head landed on something warm and cozy and she felt an arm slip around her shoulders. It was soothing, calming her. Her eyes fixated on the camera in front of her. "Say cheese!"

A loud snap granted her permission to open her eyes, watching the newly made photo slip out the front. Bebe snatched it and waved it a few times for it to dry, then smacked it on the table with several colorful pens. "Now just sign your name and we'll have your photo hung up before the pub closes."

It was a lot harder for her to sign when her hand coordination was out of whack, but Vicky managed to pull off a cutesy signature in bright blue. Scott had simply written his name out in red, bold letters.

Bebe took the photo before Vicky could really get a good look at it. "All right, thank you dears. Now, the bill."

Even when she held the paper to her face it was hard to exactly comprehend the numbers. All she knew was there were three digits and didn't care when she handed Bebe her father's card. With several to go boxes wrapped in plastic bags, Vicky stumbled out of the pub and almost landed face-first in the pavement.

A hand caught her before she could fall too far. "Gotcha."

"Thanks." Once balance was achieved, Vicky walked out from underneath the canopy, feeling several drops of water hit her nose. She recoiled slightly, now aware of the slight drizzle of rain washing the world. How she hadn't noticed it earlier was beyond her and made her realize how intoxicated she was. "Aw come on."

Scott eyed the rain for a moment, a bulb going off in his head. "Wait! I got an idea!"

The next thing Vicky knew her bags were taken out of her hands and replaced with Scott's football jacket. She had to stare at it for a long second before up to Scott in confusion. He mimicked putting it over his head, which she sheepishly did, holding it just a few inches over hers. The rain stood no chance against the jacket, but now Scott was vulnerable to the rain himself. "But what about—"

"It's not a problem. I like rain!" His grin was enough to put aside her slight concern. She stepped back out into the rain with Scott following alongside her.

"Thank you …" The words were soft and quiet, giving Scott a tender smile as he returned it.

"It's getting pretty late. You want a lift home?"

The idea made her snort, imagining her father's gaping stare at the sight of Scott on their doorstep. "God no. My father would flip his shit. We can just walk back to school."

"Is he also afraid of werewolves?"

"Yeah," Vicky cast her eyes down to the row of flowers outside a flower shop. "I think he hates them more than he fears them. It's probably best you don't meet him."

Her feet clumsily stepped through puddles, almost tripping over her own feet. The same hand caught her, only this time it was also holding one of her plastic bags. "Here, maybe this'll help."

She was guided closer to Scott, his arm almost hesitating as it slipped around her waist and pulled her beside him. Vicky felt her cheeks glow and her stomach form a small knot, his body warm against hers. She kept her head down to hide her embarrassment, unable to see the pink in Scott's cheeks. "It does. Thanks."

"… no problem." They tried again to walk, Vicky finding it much easier with Scott to ground her and keep her balanced. Her heart fluttered with every step. She knew she should have been afraid and overreacting to Scott holding her so close. Yet she felt no fear, probably from the copious amounts of alcohol she ingested. It was … nice.

"Man, the full moon is getting close." All at once, her warm, fuzzy feelings came crashing down. Vicky looked up at Scott, who was staring directly up at the almost full moon.

Her heart skipped a beat. "Do you know when it'll come?"

"Mm … I'd say tomorrow." He looked back down to her. "We got like an internal clock about it. We always know when the full moon comes."

"Oh." Tomorrow. She would have to tell her dad about it when she got home, feeling her organs twist together.

"It's always so hard to remember what happens those nights." Scott scratched the back of his head. "But I always feel great and full afterwards! Waking up in a field with my bros, covered in blood, practically na—!"

"Scott!" He froze at his name. Vicky was gripping Scott's jacket hard enough to strangle it. " _Please_ , don't say those things around me. For once just think about what you're going to say before saying it."

She had half a complacent mind to shove his jacket into his face and walk back to school by herself. Scott had done some dumb things but that was taking the cake. His arm squeezed her closer to him for just a few seconds. "You're right. I'm sorry."

It was enough to calm her down, breathing out a sigh. "Thank you."

They walked in silence from then on, Vicky just listening to the rain patter on anything it could land on. The way Scott held her, helping her walk, down to his warm body and her full stomach left her fighting to stay awake. Her steps became sluggish and her eyelids fluttered every few seconds.

"Vicky? You okay?" She heard Scott's voice, but it sounded so distant. Her hands drew his jacket down onto her head and rested it on his side, trying to get closer to that comforting warmth.

"Tintin …" She murmured just as sleep overtook her.

She experienced bliss and peace for just a moment until a loud voice snapped her awake. "Vicky!"

"Huh, what?" Her first thoughts were of the school in her vision, how she was resting sideways on the ground and the cold wetness soaking her clothes. She sat herself up, realizing she was in front of Spooky High with her plastic bags nestled close to where she had slept.

A pair of green insect arms wrapped around her, her father kneeling next to her. "Oh god, I'm not too late. Did he hurt you? What did he do to you?"

"What?" She felt the need to repeat the word again, pushing her father off of her as best as she could. "What the hell are you talking about? Why am I here?"

Her father gave her a wide stare, then drew in close to sniff her. He recoiled. "Oh my god, it's worse than I thought! He drugged you!"

" _What?_ " Two times should have been enough to get her point across, but apparently, it wasn't. "Dad, just tell me what you saw! Clearly, I'm confused!"

He let go of her. "Well, after you blatantly ignored my texts, I figured you were just busy with school work and that you'd text me when you were done. I got your text and came to pick you up when I found," If he had a visible nose it would have shriveled in disgust, "one of those damned wolves sitting near you! And you were laying on the concrete, out cold! He must have seen me coming because he bolted before I could get a good look at him. Filthy inbred dog!"

Scott's name almost jumped off her tongue but she bit it before she could give her father any identification. Her primary focus was her phone, checking her messages. She had sent a text to her dad almost fifteen minutes ago, asking him to pick her up. A text she didn't remember sending.

Her father's voice prattled on in the background. "I knew this was a horrible idea! I _knew_ I should have just kept you home! Look at what that thing almost did to you. Horny mutts don't know how to keep their hands to themselves! If he laid a hand on you, I swear to god—!"

"Dad, just shut up!" All this noise was not helping the headache that was forming in the back of her head. She racked her brain to try and put together what happened. She must have blacked out or fallen asleep on Scott, who more than likely carried her back to school, contacted her dad and waited with her.

A guttural groan escaped Vicky's lips. How embarrassing was that? Falling asleep on her friend after getting pissed drunk. She had the strong urge to just lie back down on the concrete and try to forget about that, but part of her didn't want to. Scott had no place to do any of that, and yet he did just to make sure she'd get home safely. It made her throat dry up and her heart flutter the same way it did when she thought about Scott these days.

He was a simpleminded fool but a kind and compassionate one.

Now, to deal with this simpleminded fool. Lying was especially harder when her mind wasn't completely there, but no way in hell was she letting her dad take her away from school again. "Dad, I went out with some friends to get a beer. I must have passed out when I came back to school."

"You did what?" She used his confusion to help herself to her feet, still wobbly but better than earlier.

"I also used your card to buy all of this fried food." Hands gesturing to the plastic bags, she wasn't surprised when his face contorted into anger.

"Vicky 13 Schmidt!"

"Yeah, yeah, spare me the lecture." She physically flinched at the full name as she picked up her bags and opened the car door, setting the food in the back and falling into her seat. "I'm super drunk right now and just want to sleep."

"You are not being spared a lecture!" She winced at the car door being slammed, her father giving her a nasty glare. "Grounded! For three weeks!"

"Dad!"

"No! If you need to do your project you can do it at the mansion, but I'm not letting you do this again!" She rolled her eyes as he started the car giving everything they passed a bored and frustrated stare. There went her afternoons with Scott. "You haven't been lingering around the wolves, have you?"

She pushed herself further into her seat, glaring. "No."

"Then let's hope this is just a rare occurrence."

Vicky ignored her father, continuing to stare outside until her attention shifted to the moon above. The sun had almost set, giving the moon a more unearthly glow. Her heart sank. "Dad … the full moon is tomorrow."

He didn't answer her, but she could tell he heard her. They drove in eerie silence, from the tighter, more anxious grip her father took to Vicky biting her own lip to try and get her mind off of more troubling thoughts. After they got home— and after Vicky puked in their bushes— she went straight to bed without needing to be told twice. The next day was Vicky enduring her first and hopefully last hangover while texting friends that she wasn't feeling well and wasn't going to come to school tomorrow. Scott seemed especially worried when she lied to him. She felt she didn't have to tell Scott her reasons for not coming to school. Yesterday should have been enough indication.

That day was like every other day during the full moon. Vicky would just browse her phone for hours, switching rooms every hour or so to make it feel fresh or sit in her room and fiddle with her sewing machine, making stuffed animals with no rhyme or reason. Her father would stay in his lab, tinkering with random objects or cleaning obsessively every nook and cranny until his lab sparkled and shined when the lights were turned on.

Busy work to try and get their minds off of the past.

It was the only day of the month Vicky tossed and turned trying to sleep, her nerves eating her alive whenever she heard a faint howl throughout the night. Even with the blinds closed and her back against the window, she could still feel the hot, intense light of the full moon shining down upon her. Targeting her. Making her prey to anything that wanted to find her.

It was well past midnight when Vicky felt the familiar tug of sleep. Her thoughts drifted away, relieving her of her fears when a loud bump awoke her. She stayed perfectly still, ears attentive when she heard the same loud bump. It came from outside, just beneath her window, where the front door was. The third bump caused her nails to dig into her pillow.

Something was trying to get _in_.

Half of her wanted to scream at just the ghastly thought, while the other half kept her quiet and deathly still. She could hear the beast outside growl and a sudden, scratching sound at the door. If that creature got in … that was how far her mind allowed her to go. She bit her lips, not even caring when she felt a prick of pain and the warm, coppery taste of blood trickle into her mouth.

Eventually, the sounds faded along with the clacks of claws on the ground. She panicked, it must be trying the other doors, yet she didn't hear another bump. She heard nothing but the restlessness of crickets outside and another quiet howl somewhere.

It seemed the creature was gone. That didn't bring any peace to Vicky's mind. Better yet, she wouldn't allow her to sleep the rest of the night. Her nerves helped keep her awake, sitting on her bed and waiting. When the sun streamed weak rays of light into her window did she finally allow herself to leave her room, to tip-toe down the steps and go towards the front door. She made sure to peep through the window to make sure nothing was waiting for her, seeing nothing. With shaking hands, she opened the door.

A large puddle of something drenched the doorstep that she wasn't able to identify. The stench alone was foul and repugnant which didn't help with the accompaniment of her puke. But her attention was stolen by the door, garnering a loud gasp.

Large claw marks misshaped the wood and left it pitiful; the claw marks of a wolf.


	8. The Status Quo

"Scott!" The jock seemed to lose track of everything he was doing when Vicky called out to him.

Her legs shook the closer she got as he closed his locker, smiling like always. "Oh, hey Vicky! Are you feeling any better?"

"Scott, did you come to my house last night?" She stared him down, her tone flat and serious, ready to blow if needed.

His friendly façade blew away, suddenly faltering for words. "Uh … I can't remember."

"Well remember!" Vicky yelled, promptly garnering attention from many others around them.

Scott gave her a wide-eyed stare, panic rising. "Uh, um, let's see … I went to school and I hung out with Damien and Liam, and uh, I had meatloaf for lunch, and I saw a squirrel and chased it, and then the sun started to set and …"

He racked his brain for an answer until the strain was too much. His shoulders drooped, whimpering. "I'm really sorry, Vicky. I can't remember anything after dusk. Are you mad at me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Forget it! Just fucking forget it!"

Scott flinched at the barking. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not _okay_ , Scott!" The gall he had to even ask if she was fine was enough to set her off. "I didn't get any sleep last night because a werewolf came to our house and tried to get in! It pissed on our doorstep and tore into our door!"

"What?" The news alarmed Scott, shaking his head. "Wait, wait. You mean to tell me one of the pack came to your house?"

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying! I don't know how to make that any clearer!" The anger was enough to make Vicky see red, but she capped it just before she could start screeching like a madman. Her hands slapped into her face, pushing her back into the lockers and forcing herself to calm her voice. "I thought it might have been you, but you don't remember."

"You said they pissed on your door?" Vicky lowered her hands, dragging them slowly while glancing at Scott. "Whoever did it was marking your house, telling others to stay away."

"Great, just what I need." Vicky went back to sulking in her hands. They never had a problem with wolves until she came to school. Her heart would cut a hole out of her chest and run if a wolf was now stalking their premises.

Scott's cheery tone was not helping her sudden gloom. "Hey, no, this is good!

"What's so good about this?" She lowered her hands again, not in the mood for some stupid, convoluted reason this was now positive.

It seemed more evident he was going that way when he poked his nose. "Wolves have a great sense of smell! If you take me to it I can figure out who marked your house and we can go politely ask them to leave!"

"That's … not a bad idea." Aside from the 'politely ask', which Vicky would leave for Scott. She felt her spirits rise, maybe they could get rid of their wolf problem quicker and easier than she thought.

Then a constant popped back into her mind, blowing away that rising spirit like a balloon. "Except … my dad almost never leaves the house."

"About him," Scott rested his elbow on a random locker, beaming. "Was I a good boy? I waited with you until your dad arrived and I left because you told me he hates werewolves. But does he like them now? Did I do good?"

Vicky didn't know if she had the heart to tell Scott that her father thought he was a rapist. Her father's petrified look was still fresh in her mind, how his body quaked at the damage to the door. She decided to spare some of Scott's feelings. "Not really, no."

"What?" His ears pinned themselves to the sides of his head, garnering a look that almost resembled a kicked puppy. "But … but I waited with you and made sure nothing bad happened. I didn't even chase that horde of badgers partying in their limousine, even though I really wanted to …"

His last sentence made no sense; however, they did live in a world full of monsters. Vicky couldn't stop herself from patting Scott's shoulder. "Don't read too much into it. My dad's a very stubborn praying mantis. We'll just have to get you over when he's not around."

"Are you sure?" He perked up lightly to the pat. "I mean, maybe I should just talk with him. Give him a big hug and let him know how friendly we are!"

"God no, he'd shoot you in the face." The mortified look on Scott's face was more than justified. "I'm not even joking. He keeps a shotgun in his room."

"If you really want to get rid of a nasty problem, I suggest a Ruger LC380 .380 ACP pistol," Liam interjected, having wormed himself into the conversation as Damien stood beside him. He cocked a nasty smile. "Just get rid of the safety, it makes using it that much more fun."

"Screw guns in general." Damien gave Scott a rough but firm pat. "You know what you need Scott? A knife. A large, bloodthirsty knife, with blood already on it! The victim will be pissing his pants when he catches you with something like that."

"I don't really nee—" Poor Scott was cut off before he could even explain the situation.

"And wasting your time. A quick bullet to the head will do much more in little time." Liam was practically rolling his eyes at Damien's response.

"Yeah? Well, guns are lame and clichéd." Damien shot Liam a dirty look. "Every loser uses a gun! Real warriors know how to wield a knife!"

Vicky watched the look of horror shoot through Liam's gaze. He physically flinched. "Gah, you're—you're right! How often do you see the protagonist in a movie or book wielding a gun? It's everywhere, it's too modern, it's … it's _mainstream_!"

"See? Exactly! Which is why you also need a knife!" Damien grinned eagerly. "Let's all get knives and tear into some noobs!"

"What are you boys dawdling on about?" Her personal bubble felt violated when Vera and Miranda came over. She scooted closer to Scott to try and find some breathing room but only made her situation worse as the lockers trapped her in.

"Vicky and Scott need to kill someone, so we're all going to get knives and fuck them up!" Damien proclaimed, unbeknownst to the sweat that started to fall of Vicky and Scott's faces.

"Uh—" Vicky and Scott caught themselves speaking at the same time, giving each a bewildered look until Vera took the spotlight.

"Ugh, barbaric. You don't need knives to get rid of a problem." Vera found her own, twisted smile, allowing one of her snakes to coil around her hand and stroke its chin with a finger. "Now poison? That's the way to murder someone. A little shot or sprinkle into their mixed drink and you don't have to leave your seat and find some dingy alleyway to make quick work of your victim. Or have a slew of vultures at your disposal; that works just as well."

"Lame." Damien lost his grin. "Where's the fun of feeling their hot blood bathing your skin if you don't even get up close and personal?"

Liam practically squirmed at the idea, something Vicky kept in mind for future reference in case she really needed to turn him on. Vera shot Damien a sad, bored look. "It's called, 'getting away with murder'."

"More like, 'being a pussy'." Damien nudged Scott. "Am I right, big guy?"

"Actually, I—"

Miranda's gasp took Scott and the rest of the group off guard. She looked to and fro with the most shocked expression. "What? You have to murder your victims _yourselves_?"

"That's the best part." Damien gestured a sly hand. "What do you do, Miranda?"

"Why I tell my serfs who I want dead and they do it for me!" She spoke nonchalantly like she was ordering a coffee from the barista. "To think, my own friends have to get their hands dirty to kill someone! What a world this is!"

Voices began overlapping one another, with Vera and Damien getting into a shouting match over which method was superior, eventually devolving into sexually stereotypical mindsets and the masculinity problem. Liam tapped his feet uncoordinatedly on the ground, checking his man-bun and trying to calm down from the powerful fantasy Damien left him stunned in and Miranda was sporadically interjecting every once in a while with, 'serfs!'

Vicky thought this was how she was going to spend her morning, cornered into the lockers with Scott when Polly floated over. "Guys, guys!"

Everyone shut up to let Polly speak, who had draped herself over Liam's shoulders. "I don't know what the fuck you guys are talking about …"

She snapped her fingers, winking. "But dick pics. Dick pics aaaall the way~"

The conversation—now a full-blown argument— only got worse until Crazy Martin the Were-Bear Janitor came barreling down the halls for them after they failed to go to class. Vicky was almost thankful she was chased by a rabid janitor; it got her away from the chaos but landed her back in class. Halfway through the lecture, she got a text from Scott, checking it under her desk.

 _Talked with the team, they don't remember going to your place. Says they'll keep an eye out!_

Vicky groaned at the text, remembering the scare the leader gave her. She should have told Scott not to tell them anything but she really didn't get the chance before they were chased off to class. For sure tonight, until Vicky remembered she was grounded for three weeks. That was going to put a pin in her plans, enough that it made her contemplate staying after school anyways and take what may come from her father's anger. Then again, she didn't want to be grounded for a month.

Texting Scott her situation, Vicky went on with the rest of the day until school ended. She was walking out of her last class when a familiar gruff voice froze her stiff. "Vicky, was it? Heard you got wolf problems."

Her natural response was to turn towards the leader but she held herself back. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her frightened look even if they could smell it.

"I'm going home." Was all she would give them before walking off. She hoped this time would play out the same, with her leaving in an encore of boos.

Vicky wasn't so lucky.

"Hey, hey, no need to be cold." Their footsteps were right behind her, her hairs standing on end at the sensation of a million eyes on her back. "We just want to talk."

"Stay away from me." Vicky didn't turn her head back or stop for them. She quickened her stride only to jerk to a halt when the leader was suddenly in front of her. He smashed his hand into the locker enough to dent it, keeping her from running off.

"Now that's not a very nice thing to say to someone who's being nice." He purposefully showed off his smile, leaning his head closer to hers. She could smell raw meat on his breath. "We don't have to be enemies! You get along fine with Scott but he's been keeping you to himself. Maybe we want to play with you too."

The implications were enough to send her into a small frenzy. She was amazed and mortified with herself when she slapped his hand down. "Scott and I aren't doing anything!"

The leader snarled, rubbing his hand as Vicky had to forcefully push down her will to scream. "Course we know that! You think we'd move in on one of our pack's girls? But you're not taken yet …"

His hand snatched her chin, squeezing her cheeks, his fingernails almost piercing her skin. "You're pretty cute for a corpse, if not feisty. How's about you come to practice and cheer for me? I'll even make up for my behavior with a kiss."

"Kiss! Kiss!" The others cried out. Her nightmares were coming to life, panic overtaking every part of her body. She pushed the leader back enough for him to let go, allowing her an escape route that she took. Thunderous stomps came rushing towards her, laughing and howling. "Wait up! We won't bite much!"

She skidded around the corner, shoving the nearby trash can over as she continued her mad run. Her heart pounded furiously against her chest, the only thought in her mind telling her to run and never stop. She didn't want to be caught, lest her mind shut down and have her pass out in such a vulnerable state.

She had just reached another corner when she felt her hair violently tugged at, pulling her back. "Got you!"

"No!" Her scalp stung at the pulling, hands outreached for anything that she could grab, anything that could save her. In the last second before she could be pinned by the other arm a new one stole her wrist, yanking her away.

She found herself behind Scott.

"What are you doing?" Scott's tone was deadly serious, something she had never heard come from him. There was no joking, no happy tones present in his usual goofy voice. It was demanding and stern, like the thunder before a storm.

Vicky tried to make herself as small as possible behind Scott. The other wolves had circled around them, eyeing her greedily with various smirks. Instinctively she grasped onto Scott, who she felt bristle. It was enough to calm her down for the moment.

"Just having some fun, dog." She could hear the leader respond arrogantly and full of cockiness. "You should have seen her face! She totally thought we were going to kiss her!"

"You think that's funny? She's terrified!"

"We weren't going to do anything bad, just give her a few noogies and send her off! We just wanted to rile her up a little! What's wrong with that? She ain't yours."

Vicky almost wanted to come out of hiding and challenge the leader again, but things were escalating and she was more concerned about a brawl ensuing. When Scott responded again the edge in his voice was gone, disappointed and heart-broken. "I didn't tell you bros about her problem so you could make fun of her. Can't you just lay off?"

"Or what? You going to do something about it?" Vicky jerked when Scott was shoved back. Her breath hitched, feeling Scott back up again. "Huh, Scott? You going to tell me what to do?"

This was it. The instigation for a fight. Any second now she would hear Scott snarling and dive into the leader for a full-on brawl. With all the wolves around them, they also might get into the fight, leaving her no chance of escape. But instead of a snarl, she heard a low whimper. She felt his tail brush in front of her, taking its position between his legs. A position she had read up on when betas were submitting to an Alpha.

"Josh, please," Scott begged, all traces of his stern and serious tone gone. Now he sounded like a wounded dog, pleading before his leader.

"That's what I thought. You stay in line, you got that?" The leader, Josh, was firm in his words. "Let's just go to practice. My fun's been ruined, anyways."

The sea of wolves parted, eager to follow behind Josh who led them down the hall. Vicky felt Scott's hand gently pushing her off him as he took a few steps forward.

"Scott?" Vicky quietly muttered, too afraid to raise her voice and garner Josh's attention again.

Scott simply stared at the ground like a whipped mutt, opening his mouth to speak.

"Scott, let's go!"

He bristled at the command, eyeing Josh who waited for him. He gave one last, solemn glance to Vicky before rushing over to join the pack and Vicky watched them disappear.

So, that was the situation. Vicky didn't know whether to feel defeated, disappointed or exhausted, but her mind was determined to smash all three together and inject it into her body. Maybe that three-week break would be good after all.

Shoes clicking on the tile, Vicky left the nearly deserted school and climbed down the steps of the front. Her father's car wasn't anywhere to be found, checking her phone to see if he would be late.

 _Car broke down. Won't make it till later._

The last thing Vicky was going to do was wait and allow the wolf pack to tease her again. Her mind reeled at the bad luck, throwing her hands up into the air with a defeated screech. This was not her day and she wasn't going to just sit here and take it.

Only when she began calculating how long it'd take her to walk home did she realize the bus hadn't left yet. It certainly didn't come around to her secluded mansion in the forest, but she didn't care about that. She saw Liam staring at his phone in one of the windows. And that loser had a car.

"Wait!" Her feet were running before she even knew what her plan was, the bus revving its engines and slowly closing its doors. She stuck an arm out in between the doors, keeping it from sealing her only chance of getting home but also crushing her arm in the most painful way.

Thankfully, the driver opened the door, but only after she was screaming and hitting the door for a good several seconds. They flashed each other a stink eye as she hobbled up the steps onto the bus. None of the monsters recognized her and she didn't care, plopping herself conveniently in the seat Liam was in.

"Taken," Liam replied as if he was more than used to doing this. When Vicky didn't move he boorishly glared at her, then slammed himself onto the window when he realized who it was. "What the—are you stalking me again?"

"Yep, now give me a ride home!" The bus finally began moving, trapping the two inside. Liam removed himself from the window and shot her a more than annoyed glare.

"You got on this bus just so that you could follow me back to my place, get into my car and I waste my precious time taking you back to your house?"

"Basically." She half-heartedly shrugged her shoulders, moving her backpack out from behind her and into her lap.

Liam continued to glare at her while settling back into his seat. "And what if I say no?"

"Then I will follow you to the ends of the world." She purposefully leaned forward, taking the vampire off guard. His back pressed itself onto the window as she continued to move closer. "I will scour every inch, every crevice until I find you again. I won't rest until I have you in my sights and in my grasp. I'll keep you close in my arms, making you beg for a release and I'll say …"

She paused when she realized how bright red Liam's face was. He stared at her in awe and Vicky noticed how close their faces were. It would be all too easy to go a few more inches and smooch that awe-struck look off his face. But Vicky didn't want to rock his world just yet and held herself back, smirking, her words bone-chilling. " _Give me a fucking ride home_."

His look was priceless. Liam blinked hard for several seconds while Vicky tried to hold back from bursting into laughter. His eyes darted above them, Vicky following his gaze to find half the bus cramped around each other with their Smartphones out and in their personal space. "Well?" Came a random voice and it was enough to split the tension.

Liam cleared his throat, pushing Vicky off him as he adjusted himself in his seat. "Yes, well … you've made a pretty convincing reason. I guess I have no choice."

The crowd groaned in disappointment at the lack of a make-out, but Vicky had gotten just what she wanted. Just as all the monsters were moving back to their seats Vicky took her chance and planted a quick kiss on Liam's cheek. His hand instantly covered where her lips kissed, his face furiously blushing as she simply winked in return. "Thanks."

Left alone, Liam buried himself back into his apps and phone. Vicky wasn't expecting an immediate response; in fact, she was surprised she had done that. She didn't regret it and focused on her own phone until the bus came to Liam's stop.

Liam lived in the heart of downtown. Several monsters got off with them and headed farther down the street, towards the shadier part of the city. But Liam guided them just a few blocks down, where the more ritzy and clean apartments were. Vicky angled her head up to try and see the top of the apartment complex Liam lived in; how asymmetrical and odd the building was. Each floor jutted out farther than the last with different windows for every room.

"So, Mr. artsy fartsy lives in an artsy fartsy apartment." Vicky followed Liam to the parking garage that came with the place, the cool shade relieving from the blistering sun. "I thought you went against clichés."

"If I were to really go against everything I would have put an investment down on a cardboard box and salvaged my wardrobe from the local dumpster." Liam gave her a sly turn, trying to locate his keys in his pants. "But even I'm not that insane. There's a huge difference between going against the mainstream and living a miserable life as a homeless, unhygienic monstrosity."

"Touché." Once they found Liam's car—which happened to be a lot nicer than Vicky was expecting—she slipped into the passenger's seat. Liam started his car with a quick press of a button.

"Now, where am I taking you exactly?"  
"Here," Vicky was already putting the address into Google maps, making sure she set it somewhere that Liam could see it clearly.

In a matter of minutes, they were out of the garage and back onto the road, with Vicky swinging her feet back and forth whilst staring at all the bells and whistles in Liam's car. "Just how much money do you have?"

"Enough to live comfortably for the rest of my life, if I really want to." Liam coolly smiled as it then disappeared. "But that got boring after a few years, so I'll probably challenge myself to go into an even shittier apartment down the road. For now, I'm not too bored with my place just yet."

Vicky gave Liam a quizzical stare. "How do you have so much dough?"

"When you're as old as I am you can amass quite a fortune." He glanced at her for a second. "How else do you think I have the time to go to high school and not have a job, yet also be able to pay all my bills? It's not like I'm obligated to go to school for educational purposes that would then make me an optional romantic interest for any new, incoming monsters. That would be ridiculous."

"So you just come to high school for fun?"

Liam flexed his fingers over the steering wheel, half-shrugging. "'Fun' isn't the word I'd use. Isn't that what you're doing? How's that working out?"

She felt her mood dampen, returning the shrug. "I mean, it's okay. I got grounded and the football team is harassing me."

"Please, they harass everyone. You're not special." Liam rolled his eyes. "That's what you get from werewolves, though. A bunch of imbeciles whose dicks are bigger than their brains."

"Scott's not like that." Vicky found herself muttering.

"No, he isn't. But he's still an idiot." When Vicky didn't respond he gave her another glance with a long, exaggerated sigh. "You want the team to leave you alone? Just don't let them get to you. Big words usually scare them off or mentions of STD's."

"Really?" Vicky brought her head up while Liam nodded his.

"Nothing scares them more than philosophical questions of life or the joys of Instagram filters." She watched him smirk. "I'm surprised you haven't run screaming from the school at this point. I haven't decided yet if it's because you're willing to push past your fears or you're too stubborn to quit."

Vicky softly smiled at the compliment. "Can I take both?"

"Fine, but just this once." Liam smiled back at her, catching her off guard. Usually, it was glares, annoying stares, and mild panic attacks. Now here he was, a genuine smile on his face.

By then his car had already pulled up to her driveway where he parked it. Vicky took her backpack into her hands and opened the door. "Well, thanks for the ride home."

"Next time you can help pay for gas." He said with a teasing tone, making her smile back.

"Sure, how about I just hand you my wallet from now on." She got one foot out before Liam stopped her.

"Wait." She turned to face him, watching his cheeks turn lightly pink. "About that kiss …"

Her own cheeks took on the same hue. She couldn't tell if his was genuine interest or complete embarrassment. "Was I too bold?"

His eyes shifted away and for a brief moment Vicky felt her heart tighten, believing she had overstepped her boundaries. It was then that she felt a cold hand slip over hers and his lips kiss her cheek.

Her free hand moved to cover where he kissed her, her cheeks growing hotter. Liam moved away, his eyes focused on her and his voice shaky. "Only if you think that was …"

Whatever they did next would decide everything. Her fingers intertwined with his, moving back in to share with him her first kiss when Liam's phone went off. He pulled away and took his hand back, leaving Vicky feeling lonely. He checked his phone before letting out a sigh. "Finally, the maintenance workers are going to fix my refrigerator. Not like I put in that call weeks ago. I need to be there when they arrive, lest they walk into my apartment with their horrendously dirty shoes."

"Oh. Yeah, you shouldn't miss that." Vicky helped herself out of Liam's car, her hand on his door. "I'll see you tomorrow?"

He lightly blushed again. "Yeah. See you tomorrow."

With that Vicky shut his door, watching him back up and leave her property. While she felt a little bitter at the missed opportunity, her heart was soaring.

Liam kissed her.

 _Liam_ kissed her.

Even if it wasn't the hot, mouth-to-mouth she dreamed of, he still left her with a warm sensation on her cheek, butterflies in her stomach and a memory she would cherish forever.

This was the best day of her life.

It was a short drive for Liam back to his apartment. He walked down the halls of his floor, pulling out his keycard only to notice Scott sitting across from his place. He perked up when he saw him. "Hey, Liam!"

Liam let out a guttural groan, ignoring Scott and unlocking his door. "Nope, I've done enough today. Come back tomorrow."

"But bro!" Scott scampered to his feet, holding out a plastic bag. "I even bought some snacks for us!"

"For the last time, Scott," Liam practically hissed through his fangs. "I don't eat food! You wasted your money."

Door open, Liam was ready to crawl through the crack and shut Scott out. A large hand gripped the door before he could do just that, the cheeriness in Scott's voice gone. "I really need your help, Liam. Please?"

Had it been anyone else Liam would have had no problem restating his decision and slamming the door on their faces. It was rare, though, when Scott sounded this sad. Knowing he'd regret it later if he didn't, Liam let out a long sigh and turned to face Scott. "Fine. What is it?"

Scott didn't let up on the door, peering down upon the vampire. "It's about Vicky."


	9. Plague of Bowties

Ever since Liam had kissed her and shown genuine affection towards her, Vicky was on cloud nine. She happily hummed to herself while eating dinner, she danced the craziest and funkiest moves while vacuuming her room and bopped to her own beat as she stitched a small plush Liam well into the night. When she perfected the small doll she gave it an extra hug and a small kiss before going to bed.

Her father was fascinated with her abundance of energy and smiles as she wiggled in her seat. "I haven't seen you this happy since I perfected the cooking time on those frozen pizza bites you always liked on the electric table."

"Things are really looking up, dad." Vicky knocked her feet together, her smile permanent on her face. "Who knows, you might be sharing me with someone soon."

"Is that so?" Her father gave her a knowing smile. "Well, I'm interested in meeting him. If I had known you were being dropped off yesterday I would have been outside waiting to thank him."

Thank god her father wasn't outside yesterday or Liam might not have been so bold to kiss her. "I'll introduce him next time, okay?"

After being dropped off, Vicky hurried into the school and next to Liam's locker. She figured after their intimacy yesterday it wasn't so creepy for her to do this now and maybe they could walk to class together. It was almost hard to contain her excitement waiting for that suave, bow-tie wearing, man-bun accessorizing and incredibly sexy vampire.

"Oh, hey Vicky."

Vicky bristled at the lack of a tone. She turned around, wondering what was wrong. "Hey, Sc—!"

Her next words were lost to her forever, for she had stared into the abyss and it stared back with a man-bun. Scott was behind her only he was dressed exactly like Liam. From the bow-tie to the suspenders down to the man-bun and the phone permanently glued to his fingers.

Her jaw went slack and her eyes bulged out of their sockets. "Sc- _Scott_?"

"Yeah, that's me, I guess." He merely glanced at her before resuming his activities online.

"Wh-What the _hell_ are you doing?" Vicky had to rub her eyes to make sure she wasn't hallucinating, wondering if she had even woken up this morning or if she was still in bed.

Scott physically flinched at her accusation as if her words physically cut him. Hesitation leaked into his tone. "I, uh—"

"Ripping apart the chains of society is what he's doing!" Liam swung out from behind Scott, to the surprise and not surprise of Vicky. He placed an elbow on Scott, beaming madly. "Behold, my latest masterpiece! I finally got through Scott's thick skull of how maddening clichés, tropes and 'what's hip' are. No more is Scott the stereotypical jock! Now," Liam twirled back a foot, extending his arms out towards Scott. "He is Scott, the hipster!"

Liam pulled himself back together, wiping a metaphorical tear from his eye. "Truly, my work knows no boundaries."

"Bu-But!" Vicky felt her own hands extend towards Scott but not to glorify him. Liam had a quirky way of living his life but she didn't know it extended this far. "You can't just do that to him!"

"You make it sound like I hypnotized him, which I find offensive." Liam frowned at Vicky before regaining his grin. "Go on! Marvel at our new and improved Scott!"

Scott eyed Vicky as if waiting for her approval. Instead, he got a horrified if not disturbed look back. "Is this what you want, Scott?"

His eyes darted away, clearing his throat. "I mean, being mainstream was cool and all for a while, but I just don't feel it anymore. Now my soul is uh … grey like the … washing machine?"

Liam sympathetically pat his arm. "We'll work on that."

Vicky tightened her hold on her backpack. Scott looked utterly ridiculous and even confused but he was wearing the clothes of his volition. "Well … okay then. I, uh, accept your new lifestyle … I guess."

Liam smile grew. "Excellent. I'll leave you two alone then!"

"What?" Before Vicky could turn her head Liam had dissolved into what should have been a bat but nothing was there. Unease came over her, contemplating if she really shut the door to her dad's car or if her having a plush of Liam in her room was creepy and disturbing.

As the feeling of unease passed the two were left to awkwardly stare at one another with silence so long Vicky felt very uncomfortable. "So … hipster, huh?"

"I felt it was time for a change," Scott replied in a monotone voice. "To tear away from uh … um …" He faltered for a moment, scratching the back of his neck. "What does Liam always say?"

As Scott struggled to remember Liam's words, she felt the guilt weigh heavy on her shoulders. "I'm sorry about yesterday and getting you in trouble." Her teeth met with her lips. "I shouldn't have yelled at you like that."

"Meh, I don't care." Vicky let go of her bottom lip as Scott paid more attention to his phone than the conversation. "It's whatever."

It's exactly what Liam would have said to her, more or less, and she would have brushed it off at this point. Coming from Scott, however, hit her in the stomach, her shoulders feeling even heavier. "Oh."

She saw him move from the corner of her eye as she now stared at the floor. "Sorry for bringing it up. I should go to class."

She didn't stick around to hear what Scott had to say if anything. She didn't know why she was taking his words to heart, maybe because the Scott she had come to know wouldn't act so distanced and self-centered. So far this new Scott wasn't making any good first impressions.

It bothered her so much that she ditched her second class to hunt for Liam. He was the reason Scott was like that and she was going to find out why this even happened in the first place. She had gotten word that Liam was hiding in the library, making her way towards that sector of the school when she heard a voice shout behind her. "Vicky? Vicky, wait!"

Oz came running over from the other side of the hall, panting and trying to catch his breath when he stopped near her. She had told Amira, Brian and Oz in the group chat about Liam's kiss the night before and he was the only one not to reply. She thought he had been busy but the alarmed look on his face left her confused. "Oz? What's wrong?"

"I …" He wheezed out, the little phobias on his skin swaying back and forth while letting out tiny wails. Vicky took note of the crumpled paper in Oz's hand as he shot his head up, frightening Vicky. "You're going to see Liam, right?"

"Yeah. There's something I need to talk to him about."

She yelped when Oz grabbed her arms, lightly shaking her. "Pl-please, let me have a moment with him!"

Oz's frantic words took Vicky out of her problem and into his. "What? Why? Are you okay?"

He immediately let go of her arms, trying to stand upright. "S-Sorry, it's just … I never get any time with Liam alone. Every time he's with someone or he's hanging out with you and—"

His hands crinkled the paper in his hands, enough to snap him out of his hysteria and attempt to smooth it out. His voice was small and timid. "This is my last chance. If this doesn't work I-I'll give up, just, please … give me this afternoon with Liam. I promise I won't ask again."

Vicky had more concerning matters than Oz's social skills, yet there was so much desperation and fright in his eyes that it was alarming and concerning. Thanks to their intimacy yesterday, Vicky figured she'd see Liam sometime today, probably to talk about where to go next. She didn't really need to see him now. Knowing this, she backed down, stuffing her hands in her jeans. "Sure Ozzie. He's yours."

His response was delayed, so when his brain finally caught up he let out a breathy chuckle. "Thank you … thank you!"

He even moved in to hug her, which she gladly accepted. He let go after a few seconds, smoothing out his hair and his paper a few times. His eyes were beaming when he gazed at her. "Well … wish me luck."

"Nah, you don't need luck." Vicky shot him a finger pistol, sticking a tongue out. "You got this. Go be your best."

She didn't think his eyes could smile more, but she was fine to be proven wrong. His phobias chirped excitedly. "Y-Yeah! Yeah! I will! Thank you!"

With one final wave Oz was off, racing back down the halls towards the entrance to the library. Vicky saw him off until the library door closed. She hoped whatever Oz needed to do would go smoothly, then she could have her time with Liam.

The next time she would have seen the vampire would have been lunch and she was fully prepared to slam her meal down right next to him and sit down for a talk. Upon walking into the cafeteria to do just that an interesting sight awaited her. There sat Oz, inching Liam's mashed potatoes with a spoon into a perfect mound as Liam was getting his phone ready for the shot of the day. They eyed one another as Oz moved his hands out of the way, Liam taking the shot and then sharing his pic with Oz. The way Liam held himself up was a bit different than how he always acted around her. His shoulders were looser, his smile more natural, his eyes gentler.

Guess Oz really lucked out with whatever he did. A twinge of jealousy made itself known to her, but she quickly brushed it off. Oz probably just wanted to be friends with Liam, that's all. Not wanting to ruin Oz's play date, Vicky sat herself over with Amira and Brian, who were more interested in devouring their food than playing with it.

"Sup, sup!" Vicky chirped.

"How's it hanging, Vicky?" Amira pulled out a seat next to her, which Vicky eagerly took. "I thought you'd be sitting with Liam from now on."

"I don't know what's going on with him right now," Vicky admitted. "Besides, Oz wants some time alone with him. I can share."

"You're already fighting?" Brian stopped eating for a moment as Vicky gave him a lopsided smile.

"Not a fight, per say. Have you seen Scott?"

"No?" Brian cocked an eyebrow as if asking if he wanted to know and took a sip of his drink. It soon found itself on Vicky's face and her food when Scott slammed his tray down on the table with them. "Holy shit!"

A plume of fire rose up from Amira's head, who was trying to hide her mouth behind her fingers. "What the _fuck_?"

"I guess I'll sit here, to step away from the normal cliché of sitting with my inner circle of friends." Scott took his seat next to Vicky, who was slowly scooting hers closer to Amira. Her eyes bore holes into both of them as if to say, 'see? See?'

"What the fuck, Scott!" They weren't the only monsters freaked out. In a flash the rest of the football team was huddled around their table, staring upon Scott as if he'd just burned his football jacket and renounced pissing on trees.

"He's snapped! He's gone insane!" One of the random wolves—whose name doesn't matter—shouted from the back.

"This is your fault, Josh!" Another wolf pointed a sharp finger at Josh, who nearly bit it off.

"I didn't fucking make him do this!"

"He was fine yesterday until you harassed his girl! Now he's—he's gone full nerd!"

Vicky bit her French fry with more grit at the mention of being Scott's 'girl'. Scott seemed equally uncomfortable with the phrase, recomposing himself. "Bros, please. I'm trying to artist-artistical … take pictures of my food."

It didn't even look like Scott knew how to find the camera, let alone post a food pic. Another wolf pointed to his food. "See? He's speaking nonsense! He's not even wolfing down his lunch!"

"You're the Alpha. Fix this!" Josh nearly bit the head off of the wolf that pushed him, snarling back at the pack. He then turned his attention to Scott, getting eye level.

"Scott, stop this nonsense! I'm not losing a good player to books and glasses!" Josh barked.

Vicky didn't want any part of this and her nerves wouldn't let her settle down and eat her unseemly, unhealthy food. She lowered one of her hands underneath the table and let out a gasp when another hand took it. She was ready to tell the wolf that took it to buzz off when she realized it was Scott holding her hand like every time the other wolves were around. He didn't look at her, he didn't say anything, a nervous look was overtaking his features.

He was scared just like her.

"Leave me alone, bros." Like yesterday, Scott's tone grew quiet. "I've found my mousse, okay?"

"Excuse me?" Josh practically slammed his hands on the table, teeth bared at Scott when a milk carton hit the side of his face.

He whipped his head over to Amira, who had an apple in her hand as her next projectile. "I want to eat my food in fucking peace, so take your brawls elsewhere!"

"I think Scott's on to something." The attention turned to Vera, who had snaked her way over and into the chaos. She rested both hands on Scott's shoulders, her snakes keeping the other wolves from coming any closer. "It was bound to happen, eventually. Hipster culture is like the plague. It comes and infects everyone with horrifying, grotesque results and some are completely lost to it forever, but then cures are made and it dies down until the next plague comes to outdo it."

She pressed her face close to Scott's, an act that made Vicky feel that twinge of jealousy again. She couldn't place why. "Think; you're the star player of the football team. Imagine how much money I could make promoting you as the latest fashion trend and coming out with a line that'll make every monster at this high school starved for your clothes." Her nails dug into his shoulders, something that Vicky assumed wasn't pleasant. "It's too tempting to resist!"

"So, I look good?" A small sense of hope twinkled in Scott's eyes.

It immediately died when Vera rolled her eyes. "Absolutely not. You could never pull this look off. But imagine how many other fashion brain-dead monsters will think you do and want to copy your style."

"I thought being a hipster meant being uncool and confusing." Scott scratched his head, seemingly lost from the moment Vera came over to the table.

She gave him a contempt smile, patting his shoulder. "It is, darling. Now, let's talk business."

Pulling back on his shoulders, Vera was able to get Scott out of his seat and to follow her. Their hands lifted up from the table, Vicky unsure why she held on so tightly before their fingers slipped apart. The football team chased after them but she didn't know what happened after that.

Since that day Vicky hadn't seen nor heard from Scott. He was always with Vera out promoting their new clothing line or out for appointments. Whenever Vicky did see Scott in the halls he looked miserable, even heart-broken. Vicky would have turned to Liam for companionship but now he was being occupied by Oz on a regular basis. Every time she tried to get him alone Oz was there or he was occupied with other things. She kicked herself every moment she missed her chance that she never got his phone number, maybe then Liam would give her the time of day. And the longer time bridged the gap between their kiss, the more reluctant Vicky became about their relationship entirely. If Liam really did care about her, then why would he avoid her this much? What did this say about their relationship from then on? Even when she tried to reach out to Oz he seemed more closed off and distant, sometimes never replying back.

How did she end up in this mess?

By the time Vicky felt hopeless her three-week grounding had been lifted. Homecoming was only two weeks away and Vicky had no idea what her plans were. She had to get Liam alone but he suddenly disappeared entirely from school to her dismay.

When Vicky walked into school that morning she was greeted by the apocalypse Vera had infested the school with over the course of said three-weeks. Bow-ties were in, buns for every gender and suspenders were being sold from different monsters all around school. She was one of the few to not partake in the new fashion trend, which garnered her odd stares and petty laughs. In all honesty, as she witnessed the school fall into obscurity and food pics, Vicky came to a conclusion.

Hipsters were fucking annoying.

"You should see how little subscribers I have on my Instagram." Vicky heard Damien speak to the rest at his table as she was finding a spot for lunch.

Miranda glanced over from her phone to check out Damien's, scoffing. Even with her fake glasses and cute bow, Miranda wasn't going to give up her crown. "Please. I'm so unpopular my serfs are creating accounts, subscribing to my work and then unsubscribing from me."

"I'm so unpopular I listen to Shit Plaster Monkey Squad." Polly chimed in, who was using half of the table as her personal bed.

"Uh, I do too!" Damien agreed as Polly snickered.

"Hah, fat chance you do. They don't even exist!"

"That's so obscure …"

Vicky shook her head, about to walk off when Amira beckoned her back over. "Ey, pull up a seat."

"Ugh, but she's so mainstream." Damien gave her a light glare as Amira kept coaxing her over, eventually sitting next to her. Brian looked like he could care less about the entire situation with his bow-tie untied, while Vera was counting her fat stacks off to the side. Like Vicky, she was the only other monster not dressed head to toe in obscure clothing brands and reeking of cologne. "Only uncool and boring monsters are allowed here."

"So you're saying you're uncool and boring?" Vicky asked while watching Amira slide a hand over Damien's shoulder. "In fact, why even do this if you think it sucks?"

He smiled at his girlfriend for a second before looking back over to Vicky like she was brain dead. "Duh, noob. Because it's fucking stupid! Well, we think it is. We're only doing it to make fun of Liam."

"God, remember when he ran from the school screaming like someone cut his legs off?" Polly giggled, rolling to her other side. "Poor vampire is probably having an existential crisis right now."

"He did what?" That was new news to her, but that explained his sudden absence from the school.

"I haven't seen him in like, over a week." Miranda took her eyes off of her phone with a small pout. "Maybe this joke is going a little too far. What if he decided to shave his head and go into," her hand met her lips. "Goth!"

"Don't be a noob, Miranda. Liam isn't that pathetic."

Vicky wouldn't put it past Liam, however. Half-way during lunch, she excused herself to go to the bathroom, which was code for 'going-out-to-find-Liam'. He was more than likely not at school yet she found herself on the second floor, listening in to two monsters talk. Scott was back in school at the moment, talking to someone who wore long jeans and a purple hoodie, their face hidden. "You have to stop this madness. Isn't my life ruined enough?"

"I can't, bro! I'm like a spokesperson now for my own line of clothing! And you said she likes this kind of stuff!"

"So the three weeks she's been ignoring you tells you it's working?"

"Uh …"

"Liam?" Scott and the hooded person spooked when Vicky announced herself. Scott had bounded off in the opposite direction while the hooded monster backed up.

"Stay away from me! Don't look at the mess I've become!"

"Liam." Her worry oozed into impatience at his overdramatic tone. In a fit of defiance he ripped his hood off, Vicky surprised to see his man-bun gone. Now his hair was loose and free and eyes were slightly wild.

"Look at me, look at what I've become! My beautiful hipster lifestyle has come to a crashing end now that everyone has embraced it! I wanted to be a hipster because everyone hated it, but now … now it's mainstream! Do you see how ironic reality has become? I've become mainstream just to get away from the new mainstream which I guess is now obscure? Regardless, I hate this!"

He looked like he was going to implode upon himself or just dissipate into another puff of smoke. Either way, Vicky couldn't help but gently smile. "Hey, it's not the end of the world. I think you still look just as cute as when you had your bow-tie and suspenders."

Liam seemed to slightly blush at that, easing some of her worries. He still liked her and she still liked him. She shouldn't have been worrying so much. He tried to mask his blush, Vicky giggling. "Aw, you don't have to hide from me. In fact, I think this is just the moment we need."

"We do?"

"Yeah! You know, to talk about us?" She sidled closer to him, taking his hand. A little guidance over to a nearby bench or empty classroom and Vicky would finally have Liam all to herself.

Instead, he took his hand away, noticing his blush from earlier was replaced by a cold stare, catching her off guard. "You know what? You're right, we do need to talk about how this is all your fault!"

"Huh?" Vicky didn't understand the sudden change in demeanor, her hands changing into loose fists. "My fault? How is all this my fault? You were the one who turned Scott into that mess!"

"I only turned him into that because of you!"

"What?" Vicky lowered her hands, more confused than upset. "What are you talking about? I didn't ask for Scott to be a hipster."

"You mean—?" Liam appeared just as if not more confused, racking his brain for an answer. He stood straight up, shaking his hands and head at the same time. "No, you can't be this stupid."

"Just spit it out, Liam!" Vicky was starting to become irritated when it was cut by Liam's sharp gaze.

"You want answers? Go find Scott and tell him to get out of my life choices! I'm done with this circus."

Rudely pushing past Vicky, Liam grumbled his way down the hall, pulling his hood back up to hide. She stood there, slightly dazed at what had just happened. Liam had been so cold and aggressive, much like when they first met. Then again, she did catch him in a bad mood, but something told her that wasn't the entire reason for him being such an ass. Maybe there was a bigger problem at play. "Liam, wait!"

He spooked again when she chased after him yet he only changed into a puff of smoke when she got too close. She coughed and tried to clear the air after running into the smoke, leaving her alone in the hall. Something was very wrong and until Liam wanted to talk to her she assumed she wasn't going to get an answer. Not now, at least.

With a much heavier heart she turned to go back down the hall Scott scurried off in. After scouring the school for half an hour, ditching class and singing her heart out so that the choir police would let her through, Vicky finally found Scott on the third floor, hiding in one of the many small nooks the school had. His ears twitched and he sat up when he noticed her presence, his eyes telling her everything. Apprehension, nervousness, down to the fight or flight on whether or not to stay. "Oh, uh, it's just you, Vicky."

"Scott," He leaned away when Vicky sat right next to him, setting her backpack down. "You can drop the act, now. Liam told me you were doing this for me."

His eyes widened then shut as his arms pulled her very close to him. "This has been the worst three weeks of my life! Every monster I talk to just wants to talk about clothes or hairstyles and I've been so busy I always get home late, and no one ever wants to play fetch with me or talk about exercise! They won't even let me pee on any trees when we're out at a photo shoot! I don't know how Liam does this every day!"

His mouth was right next to her ear, so she heard every whimper that came from his lips. Vicky would have been more compassionate to his cause if he wasn't squishing her ribcage, her 'pats' on his shoulder her only effort to try and get out of his hold. "It-It's okay, Scott! Augh, please let go of me!"

When he released her Vicky took copious amounts of air, hoping to refill her lungs while her chest ached. Scott still whimpered, his ears drooping. "I just thought if I did this you'd like me more but now you only hate me."

"Like you?" He looked to her again for reassurance while her mind was elsewhere. Her chest lightly fluttered at the idea of Scott liking her until her brain came up with a more logical solution. Of course, it made sense. Scott must have known her and Liam kissed, so he wanted to dress up like Liam in an effort to make himself friendlier which would downplay her own fears. That was actually really smart of Scott to think of, Vicky reminding herself not to underestimate Scott anymore. He had his moments of brilliance.

Finally understanding the situation, Vicky shook her head, letting him know through her friendly smile she wasn't upset. "I don't hate you, Scott. I think it's sweet you did this."

"Really?" His ears slowly perked as he let Vicky slip off the fake glasses on his head, fold them up and set them on the bench.

"Yeah, but hipster life is more of Liam's thing. It's not a one-size-fits-all kind of lifestyle." Her eyes smiled as she looked at him. "I like you for who you are. The happy-go-lucky werewolf who's always smiling and cheering monsters up. You don't have to change yourself for me because I already like who you are."

It had been weeks since Vicky had seen Scott smile and the one he gave her was worth that wait. He pulled her back in for another hug and she was ready to tap out when his voice was in her ears. "I like you too."

A small fire lit her stomach, her cheeks rosy. Her fear fluttered away like leaves on the wind, and she found herself returning the hug, letting herself get lost in it for just a moment.

"Could you pet me?" Vicky opened her eyes, not knowing she had closed them to begin with when Scott spoke. He let her go, smiling insecurely. "Whenever I'm really nervous or scared or really happy my mom would always pet me to make me feel better."

"So anytime then." Vicky chided, causing Scott to lightly blush.

"Yeah. I still feel really bad about all this, so … could you pet me? To let me know it's fine? Is that okay?"

An odd request this should have been, but Vicky would be lying if she hadn't thought of petting Scott before. The werewolf acted like a new puppy all the time which made it even harder to resist the idea of running a hand through his hair or scratching behind his ears. "Sure, I can do that."

"Really? Yay!" The next moment Scott settled half of himself in Vicky's lap with the rest of him lying along the bench. Vicky held her arms up at the sudden intrusion of personal space while Scott beamed. "Okay, you can pet me! Don't be shy!"

Now that he was lying in her lap Vicky felt her resolve blow away. Scott wasn't an animal, he was a monster and she was basically going to be touching him all over. If she had done this with any other monster it would look more like a pet fetish or something two lovers would do with one another.

But no one was around and Vicky craved the pets. She started slow, running her hand through Scott's hair, amazed at how soft it was. She would have died inside if his hair was greasy and disgusting, so thankfully that was not the predicament Vicky found herself in.

Scott's tail started to thump the more she ran her hand over him. He closed his eyes and she felt his body relax. Her hands grew bold enough to tug what little hair was in his man-bun and release it, slipping the hair band around her wrist.

"Your hands are so nice." Scott murmured, physically shuddering when she scratched behind his ears.

"I've had practice." She kept her eyes on him, her own body relaxing alongside his. It brought back happier times, times when things weren't so scary, when she could do this all the time with—

She stopped herself before she could dredge up the past. Right now, she wanted to feel happy, to feel safe, and as she continued to pet Scott she felt just that.


	10. Sudden Realization

Cleaning up the mess Scott made was easier than Vicky could have imagined. Taking on the role as his PR Agent, Vicky spent the next few days cleaning up Scott's reputation and ushering him back into society as his lovable jock self. It took sweat, tears, and a lot of sequins to eventually get the public to accept Scott's newest fashion trend—which was basically his old attire— and things went back to normal. Liam came back to school in his normal attire which was begrudged by all. He never looked so happy to be scorned and outcast from society.

Vera wasn't even upset about them bringing down her hipster empire because she got to sell back everyone's clothes as 'new and improved', making her double the money. She didn't give Vicky cut of the profit, however, for her contributions. Not that Vicky was really asking; to ask for money from Vera was to ask to be in debt for life.

Since her grounding had been lifted, Vicky went back to hanging with Scott after practice. They'd go on a quick jog around the track and end the day with more questions, usually with Scott laying in her lap as she pets him. Before Vicky knew it homecoming was just a week away, spending her Friday afternoon with Scott. They both lied outside in the grass, resting from their earlier workout when Scott sat up. "Hey, Vicky?"

"Hm?" She opened one eye, too content with her warm surroundings to get up. "What's up?"

"Now that things are settling down, I was wondering if you wanted to hangout this weekend." There was a faint look of insecurity on his face, which was unusual for someone who acted first and never asked questions.

Vicky blinked once, letting herself fall back into the cozy grass. "Don't we usually do that?"

"I thought we could do something else than questions. Like the time you got drunk at Auntie Bebe's!"

Vicky sat back up, her first hang-over ringing numbly in her head. She didn't think she was up for that again. It had been a while since the two did anything fun that wasn't focused on her phobia; the change of pace would be nice. "What did you have in mind?"

Scott started to wag his tail. "We can go to the town park! I haven't been in like … a week! We can play ball, and get ice cream, and play ball, and eat lunch, and play ball—!"

"I think I get it." She gestured a hand to get him to quiet down. "I don't think I have anything going on this weekend. I haven't gone since I was a kid."

"Then let's go!" Scott almost rolled in the grass, tail wagging at max speeds. "Please? Please? Pretty please?"

She cocked Scott a mischievous smile. "You know what? Sure, let's go to the park!"

And that's exactly where Vicky found herself that next day. Dressed in a light blue, shoulder-less dress, a big, floppy sunhat, and sandals, Vicky made sure her father dropped her off that afternoon across the park so he wouldn't see Scott. The park was littered with monsters that weekend, with families sitting down for picnics and birthday parties, while several others used the park to get their cardio in and hang with friends. Vicky had packed her own basket as she scanned the fields for Scott. Eventually, she found him on a small hill under a tree with a torn up blanket, waving her over.

"Vicky, hey! I'm right here!" Scott cried out as she ascended the hill as if she hadn't seen him earlier. The wind seemed to pick up the closer she got to Scott, ruffling her dress and threatening to send her hat flying.

She caught it before it could make plans to visit the next state over. When she glanced back over to Scott he seemed frozen, his awe ever present. "Wow … you look really pretty."

Her shoulders tensed at the compliment. A smile brushed her lips. "Do you always compliment your friends like this?"

Placing her sandals on the side, Vicky kneeled on the blanket. Scott smiled all the same. "Course I do! I love letting my friends know how awesome they are!"

Ah, she should have guessed. Somehow the comment made her slightly disappointed, then confused as to why she felt that way. It wasn't like she was going after Scott. He was too simpleminded and goofy for her tastes.

Yet when she looked back at him, taking note of his open Hawaiian t-shirt and shorts, his smiling face, his cheery demeanor down to the rippling muscle covering his body …

She shook her head, pushing those thoughts aside and the growing blush on her face. He was a werewolf. Even if she worked tirelessly on her fears to be comfortable around his kind, dating one would be too much. It just wouldn't work out, not with her family.

"What's in here?" Vicky cast her eyes down to her basket, which Scott was solely focused on. He sniffed at his curiously, raising his head. "Is that meat?"

Using the opportunity to get away from her thoughts, Vicky nodded her head, opening the basket. "I thought hey, since we're going to a park, why not pack a picnic?"

Taking out her giant battery, Vicky also unpacked her large metal box, opening it to reveal a few sandwiches and a mountain of fries. She also withdrew a couple of sodas from the basket, tossing Scott one. "I brought chicken and bacon sandwiches from when we last went to the diner."

He effortlessly caught the soda with one hand. "Bro, you're the best!"

"Oh, go on." Vicky chided, placing a hand on her cheek and gesturing toward Scott. She meant it as playful banter but Scott decided to act on it.

"Okay! You're super cool, you're super sweet, you smell like apples, metal, and fresh clothes, your smile is amazing, you dress super pretty all the time, and you don't give up!"

Vicky blinked for a moment, her smile nervous but hopeful. "You really think so?"

"Yeah! Of course! You're one of the nicest monsters I've known!" He even laughed again, how cute and strong it was.

She didn't know how much longer she could take his compliments before her head melted off her neck. Why were his comments only now making her blush so much? Maybe it was his open shirt. Yeah, that had to be it.

Scott didn't seem to understand why she started taking deep breaths, hoping to calm herself down before she got excited. When her eyes caught his bag she used it as an out. "What did you bring?"

"Oh, this?" Scott grabbed for the cloth bag, spilling its contents onto the blanket. Chew toys, bones, a rope, a Frisbee and a ball tumbled out. "I brought stuff for us to play with!"

The Frisbee caught Vicky's attention. She picked it up, the familiar blue striking a memory in her mind. "Is this the same Frisbee from the first day of school?"

"Yup," Scott nodded his head, squeaking one of his squeaky toys. "I haven't played with it since because I've been so busy with practice and you."

Vicky eyed the Frisbee for a few more seconds before an idea popped into her head. "Hey, Scott …" Rising to her feet, she tossed the Frisbee, letting it soar away. "Fetch!"

"What?" Scott immediately dropped the squeaky toy, eyes set on the flying Frisbee. He nearly kicked the blanket out from underneath him as he scampered off towards it. "I got it, I got it!"

She nearly laughed when Scott almost tackled into a hot dog stand to try and catch the Frisbee but he successfully dodged it, grabbed the Frisbee from the air and slammed it onto the ground as if he had made the winning play. It was when he came running back up the hill that Vicky felt her flight mode kick into high gear. She tripped on the blanket in an attempt to run off, falling on her back while Scott stared down at her. His words were garbled from the Frisbee in his mouth. "Puh bokay?"

With a helping hand, Scott helped Vicky back to her feet, brushing off some of the dog hair that littered the blanket. He spit out the Frisbee, handing it back to Vicky. "Do it again! Please?"

She made sure to take the side not covered in Scott's saliva, sending the Frisbee flying again. After a few throws Vicky got used to Scott bounding up to her and she didn't panic as fiercely. He'd simply wag his tail, drop the Frisbee and ask for her to throw it again, which she did. By the time Scott came back up the hill after the thirteenth throw sweat glistened on his skin. Vicky was already sitting back down on the blanket, handing Scott a soda.

He eagerly took it, almost downing the bottle in one go before pausing for air and sitting next to her. "Man, I'm pooped! Gonna take a moment to breathe."

"I can get started on lunch." Vicky reached into her basket for her jumper cables, playfully snipping them in Scott's direction.

Scott cocked his head to the side. "How?"

This is where Vicky snickered. "Watch and learn, big boy."

Hooking the cables between the box and her battery, Vicky flipped the switch as the box jumped with electricity. Scott seemed entranced by the entire thing, even when Vicky grabbed the box to juice up. When she turned off the switch their food was properly fried alongside her hair, which stood straight up. "All done!"

"Really?" Warnings did nothing when Scott ignored them and stuck his hand into the box. He immediately pulled it out with a yelp. "Wow, you're right! The burns don't lie!"

"Jeez, Scott," Vicky shook her head. "Give it a minute to cool down."

After said minute the two began to eat their food. Vicky was halfway done with her sandwich and lazily watching other monsters when a thought hit her. Were her and Scott on a date? She did dress nicely for the occasion as did Scott, the two were eating lunch on a small hill together and hanging out. It would be so easy for other monsters to think that just how much Scott complimented her and how often he made her laugh. Every other time she thought like this she just told herself if monsters asked about it she'd correct them. Now, though, part of her almost didn't want to.

What was wrong with her today? They were purely friends and she had just made her first move with Liam. She had to stop entertaining these thoughts. With this in mind, Vicky lowered her sandwich away from her mouth. "You know, I used to come here all the time when I was little. Dad would monopolize the tables over by the grill and I'd run around and scream and climb anything that I saw."

Her eyelids lowered. "I had so much fun until we stopped coming. I wish we hadn't. Just me, dad and—"

"Tintin?"

The name froze Vicky. Her sandwich almost dropped out of her fingers, her head turning to look at Scott. Her tone was chilling. "Where did you hear that name?"

Scott—who at the time was eating some fries—let the food slip through his fingers. He shrunk under her gaze. "I heard you mutter it when you were drunk. I'd been meaning to ask but it never seemed like a good time."

Of course, it was when she was drunk. Another reason to never get that hammered again. Vicky sneered at herself before ultimately letting out a sigh and finishing her sandwich. "Tintin was my pet when I was a girl. I loved him so much, he was my best friend."

Scott picked back up the fries, still electing to eat them. "Can I meet him?"

Vicky's heart broke, her voice solemn. "No … because he's dead."

"Oh …" His tone matched hers, making her only want to slink away more. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"Not your fault." It was a quick reply, Vicky opting to look at the blanket more than Scott. "But I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"No, that's fine. We won't." Something moved in the corner of her eyes, grabbing her attention. When she looked up Scott was there, gazing at her with warmth and comfort. "Come on, let's go play. That always cheers me up."

How was it that Scott always knew what to say and what to do whenever Vicky was sad? Even when they were complete strangers Scott tried his all to get her to smile. Maybe Scott just did this for everyone, maybe it was in his nature, but Vicky wanted to believe at that moment he was doing this just for her. Forcing herself to smile, a simple nod was all she gave and took his awaiting hand to travel with him down the hill.

Scott went back to catching anything that Vicky threw his way. She never thought she was that great at throwing and got the hang of it the more she tossed the ball, with Scott always returning it. He ruined a few picnics when he trampled through them and almost ran into a tree when she threw the ball into one, but it wasn't enough to put a damper on their mood. Soon enough Vicky joined in on the fun, with Scott even throwing the ball a few times for her. She was much slower in retrieving it and didn't lodge it into her teeth, which Scott never understood.

When they weren't throwing each other a ball they went for a walk around the park, with Scott interested in meeting every dog they came across. He even got on his knees to sniff every dog's butt and would either get playful with the animal or bark at it to shoo it away. In between throwing the ball and meeting dogs, the two rested underneath the biggest tree in the park, staring up at the sky through the shining leaves and talked about the small things in life. Vicky also showed off her impressive climbing skills, which were to say she clung to the tree and slowly inched her way up. Scott was impressed, nonetheless.

In due time, the sun started to set, the park-goers slowly decreasing until only a few were left. Vicky hid underneath the shade of a tree as Scott came running back with ball in hand, sweaty and exhausted. He wiped his forehead, panting. "Bro, I need a drink. You got any more soda?"

"Just drank the last of it. Sorry." Vicky rattled the empty bottle in her hands, scouring the nearby park. "Maybe there's a water fountain nearby."

Scott scanned the park too, suddenly beaming. "Found one!"

He bounded off while Vicky tried to see where he was going. When she found his destination she startled, chasing after him. "Scott, wait!"

"Is it done?" Faith looked between her, Joy, Hope and the bottle sitting in the middle of the table. The book Joy had buried her head in earlier was shut and set down.

"Looks about it. With this, we'll be able to gain the upper hand on Zorphis, reclaim the lost city and finally put an end to this arc for season 4!"

The coven nearly lost their shit when Scott took their bottle, drinking the entire thing. "Ah, that hit the spot! I'll buy you girls another water for the one I drank."

"You idiot!" The coven screamed as one. "You drank our potion! It took us weeks to find all the ingredients!"

"Potion?" Scott glanced at the bottle and back to the girls in a confused manner. Vicky came right at the moment Scott's feet left the ground, his body slowly ascending. "Wh-Whoa!"

"Scott!" Vicky didn't have much time to act. Hands outstretched, she jumped up and caught his hand to try and pull him back down. In doing so she completely forgot just who she was trying to pull and instead of her pulling the muscular jock down, her arm strained as she was pulled up with him. Letting go would have solved her problem but she also didn't want to leave Scott to drift into space, her feet kicking madly back and forth. "Help me!"

"I gotcha!" With one powerful tug, Vicky was pulled up enough for her to grab onto him and pull herself onto him. Sitting on his open chest did things to Vicky she didn't want to be feeling at the moment, deciding to worry more about their new problem than the hot implications of their positions. What if flew so high gravity gave up on them and pushed them into space? What if the potion wore off and they fell to their deaths?

Scott's laughter was not helping the stressful situation. "I got super powers! I can fly!"

"I don't think that's accurate!" But Scott chose to ignore Vicky's complaints, whose restraint was waning with Scott's pecs right near her hands.

He stretched his arms out and pushed them back, propelling them forward with his own whooshing noises. "Look at me! I'm a flying werewolf!"

They seemed to stop climbing at around forty feet, with several monsters exclaiming and pointing at their situation. At this height Vicky could still feel the coven's rage burning into them, her eyes only wanting to stare at Scott's chest. This was not the situation Vicky wanted to find herself in today. "Come on, make noises with me! Whoosh!"

Vicky warily looked back over to Scott, who was more excited than she had ever seen him. Part of her wanted to complain and try to find a way down or feel him up, but when would she ever be in this situation again? With Scott egging her on she let out her own whooshing noise, with Scott shouting. "Louder!"

"Whoosh!" Alongside her sound effects, Scott kicked his legs making them fly faster. It felt like he was swimming in the air and probably wasn't the best way to control his new powers. It worked, though.

"I'm a superhero!" Scott laughed, his energy infectious.

Vicky pumped her own fists into the air. "And I'm your quirky yet lovable sidekick! Let's fight some crime!"

"Yeah!" Flying away from the park, Scott managed to get a hold of his powers and gained the ability to fly up and down. With their dynamic duo, they stopped a robbery from happening just in the nick of time, which garnered them press coverage and a key to the city. One for Scott being the first flying werewolf in history and one for Vicky, who was the first to ride a flying werewolf.

It was a grand celebration but they eventually had to return back to the park. Vicky was resting on Scott when they both felt his body falter, the potion having seemingly run out. "Uh-oh."

Thankfully they were close to the ground when Scott went from zero to a hundred. Vicky landed directly on Scott, hearing the air knocked out of his lungs in a painful wheeze. In alarm, Vicky threw herself off. "Oh god, I'm sorry! Are you hurt?"

A groan escaped his lips but belted into a loud laugh. Scott sat up, holding his head. "That. Was. Awesome!"

Knowing Scott was all right Vicky smiled, feeling her own laugh come forth. She kneeled next to him, her hand finding his and for a moment she brushed her fingers over his skin. The flock of butterflies came back to her stomach, lifting her head up to look at Scott just as his face came close.

She only had a second to react until his lips claimed hers.

It was a funny feeling, that first kiss. Vicky had always heard stories of monsters having their firsts on social media. How fireworks would go off when they found the right monster, how they would instantly know that they were the one.

Vicky couldn't say she felt fireworks at that moment or anything that told her that Scott was supposed to be hers. Yet the gentleness of the kiss and how warm he was felt like syrup to her senses. She felt wanted, loved and cherished.

Scott slowly withdrew after a few seconds, hesitation and uncertainty lining his features and voice. "Oh. Oh jeez. I'm sorry. I just … I was so excited and …"

He was hushed by Vicky, who also shook her head. Her hands caressed his cheeks and pulled him back towards her for another kiss. She wanted more, she wanted to feel that warmth drape over her and keep her safe.

Scott placed his hands behind Vicky to keep himself upright, leaning into her as they kissed twice, thrice, four times. The butterflies swarmed in her stomach, fluttering across her heart, kissing at her lungs, sending her chest into a flurry of excitement. It was everything Vicky wanted and more, seemingly lost to the moment. When they parted for air she gave Scott a tender look as he sheepishly smiled.

Something told her what she had done was wrong, that she had put herself in more danger for foolishly giving in to her desires, for letting herself entertain thoughts of Scott. She told that part of her to shut up.

"Say …" Scott's voice was still unsure, yet emboldened. "I've been meaning to ask … would you want to go to Homecoming? With me?"

An immediate yes came to mind but she stopped herself just in time to think over her situation. She had kissed Scott. Not the cheek kiss she had given Liam, but full on lips with passion. She now understood why she had gotten upset when Vera put her hands on Scott and why she was so disappointed when Scott comments weren't solely for her. In trying to conquer her fears she had not only gotten to know Scott as a dear friend but also planted seeds of affection in her heart. Seeds that were finally sprouting.

She then thought to Liam and how everything seemed jumbled. They hadn't talked about their situation and she never had a good time to talk to him. Even when he did give her a moment he was cold and distant, much like when she first met him. It was disheartening, to say the least.

While her heart still fluttered for Liam, she couldn't ignore the growing feelings for Scott and the kiss they just shared. Now here he was, asking her to go with him to Homecoming, waiting for her answer.

Knowing it, Vicky leaned up and gave him another kiss. "I'd love to."

Like fireworks his eyes lit up, tackling the two of them onto the blanket. She freaked for a moment until he calmed her with butterfly kisses all across her head. "Yes, Yes! It's a date! We're going to have so much fun!"

Vicky giggled at the sudden affection, allowing Scott to hug the near stuffing out of her. An abundance of love was being showered upon her and Vicky was happy to bathe in it, having never felt so bright and cheerful in her entire life. They stayed like that, giggling and kissing for a while until nightfall had overtaken the sky. Vicky had packed her basket and was ready to call her dad when Scott walked over with his stuff. "I can take you home if you'd like."

"Are you sure?" Vicky's finger still hovered over the call button.

"It's not a problem! You can ride me!"

Vicky didn't understand his implication until Scott started his transformation. His hair grew longer, his fingernails turning into claws as his arms shook violently. A loud gasp came from her lips, flailing her arms to get his attention. "Scott! Scott, stop!"

"Wuh? Oh!" He immediately shifted back before he could rip his clothes, pouting. "Right."

Thank goodness Vicky had stopped him; otherwise, she would have bolted for the hills. "I can just get my dad to get me. He doesn't mind."

"But …" Scott continued to pout until his face lit up. "I know! I can carry you like this!"

Confusion lined Vicky's face when he crouched down and patted his back. Vicky hesitated for a moment until he called her over. After a few tries, she successfully got onto Scott's back, her legs looped through his arms as her hands held his shoulders. "Are you sure about this? My house is pretty far."

"Yeah, this should be no sweat! You're like nothing!" He gave her a confident thumbs up, making sure the blanket, basket and his bag were all secured before trotting off. Vicky kept one hand on her hat to keep it from flying away.

Only Scott the werewolf would offer to piggy-back her all the way home. The thought alone was silly and impractical, but she was beginning to discover she loved that about him. She gave him directions while he ran down the sidewalk and through the city, getting to the outskirts.

"Okay, now jus—" Vicky had her hand out and ready to direct Scott down the road when his voice covered up hers.

"I know where I'm going now."

"… You do?" Vicky lowered her hand, watching in befuddlement Scott go down the right road, take the right turns. Concern came over her when he suddenly veered off the path and into the woods until he said something that made her teeth clench.

"This way is quicker."

From then on Vicky held her tongue, watching, wanting to see where Scott was going to appear. They jogged in silence until Scott popped out at the top of the hill her mansion sat on, arriving at their destination.

"We're here!" Scott chirped. He lowered himself so Vicky could get off, setting the rest of their stuff down. "See? I told you I—"

He faltered when he saw nothing but rage in Vicky's eyes. She stomped her foot, yelling. "It was you!"

"Wh-what?" He pointed at himself, as if he was unsure if she was talking about him.

"You were the one at our door that full moon! How else could you have known your way here?" Her intuition was right all along, which only made Vicky angrier.

Scott practically backed away, hands out. "I-I don't know! I just did!"

"You were at our door! You pissed on our doorstep! You tried to get into my house!" With each accusation she took a step forward, causing Scott to take one step back. Screaming would only bring attention and possibly her father outside, yet at the moment Vicky didn't care. "Why did you try to break in?"

"I don't know! I really don't!" He cowered beneath her anger, glancing over at the door. "Here, let me check! I can tell who was here!"

Vicky crossed her arms, letting him run over to her doorstep. He leaned down for a moment to sniff at the block, and she wasn't surprised when he raised his head with newfound shock. "Shit … that's me."

"Scott!"

"I'm sorry, okay? I can't control myself when the full moon's out! I don't know why I came here but I'm really, really sorry!"

"Unbelievable." Vicky breathed, slowly shaking her head. "That's what I get, though, right? For hanging around werewolves? Them trying to break into my house and kill me!"

"What?" Scott seemed horrified at her accusation. "Vicky, I would never do that! Even if I don't remember things I wouldn't harm my friends!"

"You don't know that!" Vicky seethed, fists trembling, barely able to keep her voice below a scream. "But _I_ do! I know what that full moon does! You're all nothing but crazed murderers!"

It felt good to get that out. Felt like the best thing to say at the time. Yet when the red cleared from her eyes she felt nothing but utter disgust with herself. Scott stood there, dejected, his eyes swimming with hurt, rejection, and despair. Her anger diffused immediately; ready to apologize. "… I need some time alone."

"Vicky …" Scott whimpered as she opened her door. One final look was all she gave as she closed the door on him, not caring that she forgot her basket and battery outside.

She slid herself down the door, waiting until she heard Scott leave to let her tears stream down her face. She would have never expected the day to turn out like this and she wished she had never said yes to that hangout.


	11. Fork in the Road

"Wow, you were pretty brutal." Amira leaned back on the stack of crates she sat on. They could hear the voices of monsters practicing their lines for their respective scenes on stage, waiting for their turn.

Vicky had just gotten finished retelling the weekend, half-leaning on another crate while her eyes struggled to stay open. The entire weekend Vicky had gotten no sleep. The thought of Scott prying her door open to come after her and her father was enough nightmare fuel to keep her awake. She had gotten several texts from Scott after she had shut him out apologizing and asking if he could do anything to fix the situation. After the tenth text, she had shut her phone off. Even when she came to school that Monday, Scott was nowhere to be found. She would have told the rest of the group about her situation but Oz had gone quiet on her since that day in the hall and Brian was always horrible at answering texts.

"I don't know what to do …" Vicky groaned. "I know I should apologize, but I can't!"

"You need to apologize, that's for sure." Amira crossed her legs and arms. "Scott didn't deserve any of that crap."

"What do I say?" Lifting her head, Vicky put on a cheesy grin. "'Hey, Scott! Sorry I yelled at you yesterday. I'm totally fine that you don't understand why you came to my house and tried breaking and entering! The next time the full moon rolls around, I'll just keep the door unlocked!'"

She slammed her head back on the crates. "You don't have to be that dramatic. Just apologize for your behavior."

Vicky tilted her head to look at Amira, hoping she couldn't see the heavy bags under her eyes. "I feel if I do I'll just get hurt." Her fingers grasped at nothing, scraping across the crate. "I know what they become when the full moon's out …"

Amira let out a huff. "Vicky, you can't let your past dictate your life now. Whatever happened to you back then was just one incident."

"But what if it happens again?" She picked her head up, panic rising in her voice. "What if I find myself too close and I can't escape in time? What if he comes at me? What if—"

Her mouth moved but no words came out, only soft whimpers. Her mind was already shutting down at the feeling of sharp teeth piercing through the flesh of her neck. A very warm hand found its way on her shoulder. "Ssh, lamb. It's okay. There is some caution to take with werewolves. I mean, no one tries to be near them during a full moon, that's just stupid. I just think you're going too far with this."

"I don't know what to do …" Vicky lifted her chin, staring up at the calmness in Amira's eyes. "Homecoming is this Saturday. Even if Scott hates me and didn't want to go anymore, I bet he talked with Liam about this and he'll hate me too."

The devastation slumped her shoulders, resting her head on the hard crate. "I'm going to be a sad, depressing loser for homecoming …"

Amira clicked her tongue, looking away for a moment. "Vicky, I think you should let go of Liam."

"Why?" Vicky had enough strength to pull herself out of her slump to then slump on the crates after she switched to sitting on them.

Amira gave her a wary glance. "Ozzie didn't tell you? He and Liam have been seeing each other. Like, a lot."

It got her out of her head for the moment, eyebrows lurched. "Wait, what?"

Then again, this wasn't new information to her. Whenever she saw Liam Oz wasn't far behind. The same upsetting anxiety crawled up her intestines, clutching her chest. "B-but he kissed me! Well, he did it on the cheek, but that's like first-base, right?"

Amira's shaking head only made Vicky feel worse. "I think his route has closed up for you. Besides, you made out with Scott! Don't you feel anything towards him?"

Vicky lowered her head, the anxiety replaced with fuzziness and even more nervousness. "I do … his smile always makes me forget about my problems and he's so sweet in his goofy way."

"There you go," The same warm hand now patted her back. "You like Scott, Scott likes you. It's a match-made! Just make up and go to homecoming together."

The pats weren't quelling her mixed emotions, murmuring. "It's not that simple …"

"No, it is that simple." Vicky spooked, she wasn't expecting Amira to hear her. Her tone was straightforward. "Scott's a lot more forgiving than you think. If you don't make this out to be more than what it is than it will be that easy. Trust me, I've gotten into my fair share of fights with Damien but we always stick the landing when it comes to making up."

Vicky wasn't so sure of Amira's words, however. She didn't know how much longer she could experience feeling like a pile of exhausted garbage when Polly floated over. "Sssup sad fucks!"

"Polly, what's hanging?" Amira lifted a hand up for Polly, who slipped her a small bag of white stuff in return. Vicky watched Amira eye the contents, grin and then stuff the rest away in a pocket.

"Oh, my bad." A playful wink and a teasing smile was just a bonus for the bag she then gave her. "It's the good stuff, trust me." Vicky eyed the bag for a second longer and did the same as Amira. "So, what's the drama this week?"

"Vicky's having some troubles with Scott." Vicky gave Amira a hard look, noting to herself to tell Amira to keep their conversations under lock and key next time.

Polly seemed more shocked than Vicky had expected. "Really? That totally sucks. I know just how you can get the party sizzling again." A ghostly arm was slipped over her shoulder, with Polly giggling into her ear. "Give him like, the best blow job in the world. That gets me out of a lot of situations where monsters are pissed at me." The mental image destroyed Vicky's mind, leaving her a gawking mess while Polly leaned back, speaking louder. "Or go doggie-style, those werewolves like to be animals, am I right?"

Amira simply shrugged. "Sex does help. Didn't you try having sex with a werewolf once, Polly?"

"Ohohoho, it was _wild_." Polly rubbed her hands together. "But then like, he died a week later from overdosing on Wolfsbane. He still blames me for it, even as a ghost! Even though I know my stuff was legit and he was totally overdosing on that cheap crap! Probably was more rat poison than Wolfsbane."

There was a story to be told there, but for once Vicky didn't want to hear it.

"Anyways, enough with the boring shit!" Throwing her hands into the air, Polly fanned out several envelopes she had stashed somewhere on her body. She handed Amira and Vicky each one, which, upon opening it, contained a syringe needle filled with glowing green goop. "I'm throwing a balls-to-the-wall insane party Friday night, so we can all get fucking fucked up before lame homecoming. Both of you should come and get down to get high!"

"You know I'm there." Amira didn't even look at the bizarre offering, simply stashing it in her costume. Vicky gave herself a moment to glance at it until Polly was in her face again.

"Everyone's going to be there. Including Scott~"

The name brought only more misery to Vicky, remembering that she was trash. "What about Liam?"

"Huh? Yeah, he'll be there too." Polly lowered her eyelids, nudging Vicky. "You thinking of double dipping? If you are, I'd like to get in on that action."

"Amira, Vicky, Polly! Get your asses out here!" They turned to the shrill cry of the director from the stage. Liam, Damien, and Brian were already off the stage, strolling past the girls with minimal glances.

"That's us. Let's break a leg while looking damn sexy." Polly gave another wink before floating out. Amira hopped down first as Vicky followed, eyeing the invitation still. Liam and Scott were both going to be there, the day before homecoming. One final chance to make a move.

"I'm going to confront Liam."

Amira stopped, turning to face Vicky. "That sounds like a bad idea."

"I don't want to get serious with Scott until I know how Liam feels about me." She shot her a serious glance before stowing her invitation out of sight. "I'll ask him at the party."

"And if he says he's interested in you?" Amira cocked an eyebrow, challenging Vicky.

Their eyes caught one another yet neither said another word. The cry came back louder. "Move it or lose it, girls!"

They hurried onto the stage without another warning. After rehearsals, Vicky was treated to a watery surprise when half of the school was flooded thanks to Miranda's attempts at 'vanquishing the airpeople'. It canceled class but it also made the entire school, students and all, have to clean up the aftermath. Damien tried to get it done faster by equipping the student body with flamethrowers, which quickly turned into flooding the school again just to put out the raging fires.

Long story short, after getting a mouthful of salt water and downing another five cups when the school was ablaze, Vicky really had to use the bathroom after school. She didn't even care if the bathroom was still flooded—since her clothes had been sticking to her skin since the last hosing—though she did mind the crab that was trying to lay claim to the toilet. After a very short-lived karate battle, Vicky had won the toilet.

She was just about done washing her hands when the bathroom door was slammed open, staring down Josh and a couple of other wolves that decided to follow. "There you are!"

Vicky barely had time to react before Josh strode over and swung her over his shoulder. Her mind blanked and her body rag-dolled in the wolf's grasp, too petrified to do anything else. "Dog, you're really fucking light."

Held captive, Vicky hoped to god they weren't going to take her somewhere private and continue to sexually harass her. Instead, she was taken straight to the gym and sat on the bleachers. Right next to Scott.

He looked just as surprised and confused as she was, though he probably didn't feel like a complete asshole like she did. Josh pointed a finger at her. "I don't know what you did, but Scott has been a sad loser the entire day! So whatever you did, undo it!"

"Bros!" Scott set his football helmet off to the side instead of where it was originally in his lap. "This isn't cool! You shouldn't have dragged Vicky in here like this!"

"No, it's fine!" Vicky was the one to interject, even going to so far to hold her hands out that like would suddenly stop the conversation. With the floor hers, she timidly looked at Scott. "I'm … sorry about what I said yesterday. I was way out of line."

She didn't even feel right looking at him, choosing to stare at her lap instead. His tone was grounded. "It's fine."

"No, it's not!" Her eyes shot back up, feeling even angrier at herself. "I said horrible and terrible things to you! You have every right to be angry with me!"

"No, really, it's fine!" A sympathetic smile came over his lips while his eyes looked apprehensive and upset. "I get it. I messed up and I scared you. I don't blame you for saying those things."

"That wasn't your fault, though. That's not your blame to take." Like a delicate vase, Vicky was hesitant and gentle when placing her hand over his. He slightly bristled. "But I made you think it was. I should have never hurt you like that."

"I was pretty hurt …" The truth stung her but she more the deserved it, seeing his features take on the same emotions as his eyes. "But I was more scared that you wouldn't want to see me anymore. I thought you'd hate me forever."

Vicky slowly shook her head, her voice delicate. "I can't stay mad at you. You know that. I'm so sorry for making you feel that way."

"I'm okay if you are." Scott's ears perked up, his hand overturning to take hers. She felt him lightly squeeze her hand, noticing slight hope in his eyes. "Are we okay?"

And just like that, the world felt a little more right. Vicky slowly nodded her head, pushing herself to scoot closer and peck his cheek. "We're okay."

Like nature intended, Scott's smile found itself right where it needed to be. Her heart felt like Scott's smile, bright and cheerful when they both heard several sniffles around them.

"Bro, that was so fucking romantic." Josh sniffed, using one of his teammate's shirt to blow his nose. "We're not crying or anything! We're just sweating so hard it's blinding us!"

A new blubber came from the Coach, who apparently was there the entire time. "Working together as a team to work through your emotional issues … Now that's what a team does for one another! I'm so proud of you two!"

"Really? Thanks, Coach!" Scott accepted the praise while Vicky wanted to slither away and hide under the bleachers. She'd have to remember the next time she got into an emotional conversation to keep it somewhere private.

Wiping the last of the tears from his eyes, Coach picked up his whistle. "All right, that's enough sentimental love for now. Let's get to practicing!"

The whistle pierced the air, getting the pack to run towards the open doors towards the football field. Scott was a few steps behind, strapping his helmet onto his head. "Wait up, bros!"

He was almost out the door before he did a complete 180 and ran back towards Vicky. She only had enough time to stand up as Scott's arms surrounded her, swinging her in the air and settling into a nice, tight hug.

She hugged back as fierce as she could, which was probably nothing to Scott. He even tried to kiss her, though, his helmet stopped him from being able to accomplish that, simply butting his forehead into hers. It made her laugh. "Silly wolf."

He chuckled as well until another whistle blow prompted him to set Vicky down, wave and head off towards the field. She waved back, the last one left in the gym yet she felt she was soaring through the clouds. Amira was right, it was just as simple as that.

 _And if he says he is interested in you?_

One simple sentence was all it took to have Vicky crash landing back into her pit of despair. Part of her wanted to forget Liam, to close that chapter of her life and be content with Scott. But that day in the car kept replaying in her head. That warm smile, the rosy glow on his cheeks. Even when they fought in the hall he was clearly blushing when she complimented him. He might have been aloof and awkward with how he felt about everything but Vicky had no doubts in her mind that Liam did like her at some point. Why else would he be so bold as to kiss her in the car? To be so vulnerable?

They still hadn't talked about that moment since then; perhaps Liam did still like her. If he did, what then? What about Scott?

She shook her head, trying to physically get the thoughts out. She didn't want to and wouldn't worry about that until Friday. Right now, she wanted to feel happy.

Her hand instinctively went to her phone, ready to text her dad until her gaze floated over to the open gym doors. A second later, she had pocketed her phone and jogged out towards the field. The team was already stretching when Vicky made it over. Scott noticed her immediately, mainly because she walked straight over to him. "What are you doing here?"

"You wanted me to come to practice, right?" Vicky put forth her cutesy act, cocking her head to the side and sticking out her tongue.

His smile was the answer she needed, pointing to a few bleachers. "I'll be over there. So do your best for me, okay?"

"I'll do more than my best. I'll do my super duper ultra best!" His reply sent her giggling.

"I'll be counting on it." With a cute turn, she playfully jogged over to the bleachers, setting her stuff down and pulling out her homework. When the team was in a lull or taking a break Vicky got to work on her homework and study, but mainly watched when the team was doing their exercise routines or laps.

Vicky only had limited knowledge of Scott's skills when it came to football or how he was compared to the rest of his family. What she did see from him set the bar high, from him almost taking the lead in running to pushing through several over teammates trying to dogpile him when he had the ball. She knew Scott was pushing himself for her, but she hoped he was this good even if she wasn't there.

Once practice was over and the team was heading home, Scott came right over to where she was. He plopped himself on the bleachers, panting and not caring he was laying more so than sitting. His head was ripe for the petting, though, upon doing so she realized his hair was entirely drenched in sweat. Half of her wanted to immediately yank her hand away and wipe it on her clothes, but Scott seemed to loosen up even with just a couple of strokes. For the sake of him, she continued. "You did good."

"Thanks." He cracked open one eye to glance at her sweetly. She reciprocated the feeling until she noticed him move up to kiss her.

A large rock crashed into her stomach, forcing her hand between them. "Whoa, wait."

Scott lifted his upper half, mostly hurt while Vicky back-pedaled. "I mean, I'm feeling pretty sick right now. I don't want you catching whatever I got."

"You're sick?" He scrunched his eyebrows together. "But you kissed me on the cheek earlier."

"Well, I felt fine then, but now I'm feeling sick." It was enough for Scott to buy it, though lying to him wasn't a great feeling.

He looked highly concerned. "That's terrible! If you're sick you can't come to school, and if you can't come to school then we can't hang out! You should be home, resting so you get better faster!"

"Right! That's exactly what I should be doing." Vicky hopped up from the bench, pulling out her phone. "But uh, I'm sure I'll be better tomorrow."

"Well, if you aren't you shouldn't push yourself! Just get better and then we can hang out some more!"

"Will do!" She shot him some finger pistols before briskly turning around and speed-walking away. Part of her really wanted that kiss to make her feel better, but the rock was too heavy in her gut. It was almost as if Liam was right behind her, grabbing her shoulders. She couldn't feel right kissing him again until she had this figured out.

Only Friday would tell if that rock disappeared or crushed her entirely.


	12. Locked Routes

Vicky assumed Polly's party was going to be at her place. The wild rave in an abandoned casino smack dab in the middle of the city quickly dismissed that idea from her head.

All week Vicky had been avoiding Scott, from faking an illness to jumping out of windows, which, she was getting surprisingly good at the landings. She did give herself a break every now and then to make sure Scott didn't think she was avoiding him, but whenever he tried to kiss her it was back to the lies and excuses. Her heart shriveled every time she had to see the disappointment on his face at the denial, only for it to bounce back into reassurance and ignorance. She hoped tonight would finally break her free from this seemingly endless cycle of shenanigans.

Getting ready for the party, Vicky made sure to wear a dress short enough to not catch on anything while also free enough to let her go wild. A little jewelry also didn't hurt anyone, so she got out some dangly earrings, necklaces, and bracelets to jingle for when she shook what her father stitched together. After that, it was calling a Lyft to get her to her destination and where she found herself now.

Standing at the front, Vicky pushed open the door only to then immediately slam it when a chair came flying towards her. She heard and felt the weight of the chair smack the door alongside several hoots and hollers until it devolved into nonsensical chatter. Cautiously, she reopened the door and slipped inside.

Loud, thumping music shook the entire building and her heels stuck to the floor from spilt alcohol and other things Vicky didn't want to think about right now. If the building wasn't a mess before it was certainly a disaster now; with several monsters throwing anything they could get their hands on at each other, while others busted through the walls from either fights or too much roughhousing. The air was choked with smoke and weed, coming from several different areas in the building where monsters gelled into their seats, staring blissfully at nothing. Bartenders were serving alcohol to anyone that came near the stand, asking or not, and several old casino tables had been crowded around where people placed bets or gambled on everything they had and had stolen. If anyone wasn't doing any of those things they were like the rest, stomping their feet on the ground and dancing to the beat.

Vicky could already pick out Vera at the end of the building, as that was where the largest crowd was. She was center, shuffling cards to dish out another round of poker to any unwilling sap that sat down to play. Miranda was also nearby, talking to someone Vicky assumed was her serf and handing them a stack of money to play at the table. From the petrified look on its face, it was more than likely Miranda's money wasn't the only thing it was betting on.

Damien could be seen on the dance floor, or, rather, she saw plumes of black smoke and wisps of fire in the middle of the crowd. It was more likely that Amira causing the fire, but if she was here than Damien was sure to be around her. Polly was getting a little too friendly with the DJ, her eyes red from overdosing as she twerked right in front of the monster's crotch. No Scott, Liam, Oz or Brian to be seen at the moment.

It was as loud, crazy and as raunchy as she had heard parties be and Vicky couldn't wait to partake in all of its nasty glory. First, she'd hit up the bar and get herself insanely drunk while also playing a few rounds of poker or blackjack to start off the night. Then, when the alcohol and any drugs she's ingested really kick in, she'd make her way to the dance floor and party until she'd wake up in another country with a tattoo on her back, a cage full of peacocks and the arm of some washed-up celebrity.

Before she could do any of that, however, she had to find Liam. It was mostly the reason she came. Her resolve left her at the thought of confronting him, wondering if she should get started early on hammering herself and then going to talk to him. They didn't call it liquid courage for nothing.

"Vicky, you made it." The voice was barely audible from the music and mad party-goers. The hand on her shoulder spoke volumes. Vicky moved away from Brian, who slightly swayed from side to side. His eyes were light red and his lips curled into a funny smile. "Didn't think you'd come."

"Are you kidding? This is the stuff that dreams are made of!" Vicky took another gander at the craziness surrounding them. "I want to black out and party hard till the world stops!"

"Well, you got the entire night." Brian laughed. She had never heard him laugh; it was deep and very jolly. With a slow slip of his hand, Brian pulled out something small and placed it in her hand. "Here, let me start you off right."

Vicky eyed the rolled up joint and the sudden light Brian produced. It was almost too tempting to resist and she almost threw the joint into the fire to then suck off until she was as high as a kite and let the night take her wherever she wanted. Instead, pesky responsibility stayed her hand. "Later. I got something I need to deal with first."

"Oh, more drama?" Brian let his hand flop, not caring to move his thumb off the trigger to douse the fire. "I won't distract you. Before you go, how do I look?"

He had ditched his fluffy jacket for a T-shirt tuxedo—which already had stains on it—and a pair of loose jeans. Vicky smiled. "Like you didn't have enough money to go to the Laundromat because you spent all of it on drugs."

"Perfect, that's exactly what I was going for." He gave Vicky a snap and ran a hand through his hair. "I'm going to ask Polly tonight to homecoming. Think I got a chance?"

"You? Pfft!" Vicky threw down one of her hands. "She'd be a total idiot to not go with you! But you better hurry, she seems eager to get down on the DJ."

"When isn't she?" Brian let out a snort and ruffled Vicky's hair. With a yelp Vicky puffed out her cheeks, causing Brian to laugh again. "You're a good friend, Vicky. I'll let you know how it goes."

"Totes!" With a crisp high-five, Brian continued to snap his fingers as he disappeared off into the crowd, dead set on finding Polly. Vicky didn't know much about Polly, but if she was fine with sleeping with any poor soul she met then she knew Brian would be good.

With Brian gone, Vicky went back to her earlier objective just as she caught a glimpse of purple. It was just a quick blur from the dancing crowd, but her gut told her it was Liam. She tried to push her way through the crowds until the beat of the music had her swaying her hips and stepping around others to her destination. Some gave her a few funny looks at how awkward her dance moves were, but she assured herself one day they would catch on.

Upon exiting the crowd, Vicky stepped over to one of the more relaxed parts of the party. Lots of couches, lots of wasted monsters and lots of cuddling. Her eyes immediately locked onto the man-bun in front of her along with the back of Oz's shadowy head. They sat on the same curled couch, dangerously close to one another.

If Liam had been alone she would have walked in front of him and engaged him, only Oz was there and she didn't want to make it awkward. So, instead, the rational approach was to get on her hands and knees and crawl over to the back of the couch to listen in. Ignoring the odd stares she got, she rested her back on the couch when she sat down, barely able to hear the two over the party.

"I don't think I can take another …"

"What happened to that spunk you had when the party started? I distinctly recall you proclaiming your plans to try all of the mixed drinks."

"That was five drinks ago, Liam. If I have another, I'm going to hurl."

"Hm, then you might be ripe."

"Ripe?" Vicky surprised herself when she frowned at Oz's lighthearted laugh. "What are you saying?"

"Come now, Oz, you should know that partaking in any alcohol will eventually lead it to enter into your bloodstream. If you're drunk off your ass then your blood is probably ripe with the stuff at this very moment. And, if you haven't noticed, I haven't partaken in any drinks this night …"

Her nails dug into the back of the couch, listening to Oz stammer. "Y-You're going to um …"

"It's no fun if you're the only one getting tipsy." Liam's tone was teasing; she could hear the smile in his voice. It was a side of Liam she had never seen before, only for Oz. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Her body moved on its own accord, standing up and slamming her hands in between the two. "I do!"

"Vicky!" Oz nearly fell off the couch, his phobias gasping in shock as he tried to situate himself. His bright red cheeks went along perfectly with his shock. Liam, however, didn't even flinch at Vicky's sudden entrance. "Wh-Were you listening in?"

"Course she was, though, she did a poor job of it." Vicky was cut off by Liam, who gave her a nasty stare. "You didn't think I'd smell you lurking around? Let's tick another box off on your stalker-list."

Oz and Vicky were just as shocked to know Liam knew about the situation. Vicky tried to size herself up, gripping the couch tighter to steel her nerves. "Why would you play around with Oz then? I thought we had something!"

"Had something?" Liam practically scoffed, looking more disgusted with each passing second. "You think that kiss on the cheek meant I was yours? Please, don't be so full of yourself! I was merely exacting my revenge for when you sexually assaulted me on the bus! You treated me like a fool, stalking me like I was some sort of object for you to go after in a silly game! So I decided to get even on the playing field by humoring your little charade."

Oz was reintroduced into the conversation when Liam slipped an arm around his shoulder. "You can't stand the idea that perhaps I have my interests elsewhere, that perhaps there's someone else I yearn to be with. Oz has been a gift from the metaphorical heavens, a gift for putting up with _you_."

"He-Hey, Liam," Concern lined Oz's features and he leaned away, though, he did nothing to remove Liam's arm off of him.

The rock manifested itself back into Vicky's stomach, growing larger and heavier with each stinging sentence. Every time she wanted to speak, he cut her off. "So, how does it feel to be the fool now? The embarrassment? The heat of emotions burning a hole in your chest and face? Remember this moment, Vicky Schmidt, for I won't say it again."

He practically seethed when he floated up from the couch, rearing his head next to hers. "I will _never_ go out with you."

Finally, the rock burst from her chest and with it a stream of hot tears ran down her cheeks. Her lips quivered as her hand moved on its own to create a hard slap across Liam's face. Neither did he try to fight her or even cover his bright red cheek, simply resigning himself to staring at her. She harshly whispered, for if it was any louder it would have only been sobs. "Go fuck yourself."

With that, she left. She heard Oz call out to her but she didn't stop to hear him out, wanting nothing to do with either him or Liam again. Of course he had no feelings for her, why would he? Not when he had Oz to latch onto; she should have known the second both stopped talking to her to make their own love nest. Amira was right all along; she wished she had never pursued Liam.

"Vicky, wait!" A nasty sneer was all she gave Oz, who hesitated once he saw it.

"You want him? Go ahead, have him! You don't have to worry about me anymore ruining your lives." Her hands wiped her cheeks again, startled when she saw her makeup smeared on her skin. Her hands immediately covered what was left of her face and dignity, running off with no direction and hoping she'd find the exit.

Was it the loud thumping music that numbed her senses, or her heart crying out? She thought Liam rejecting her would have unraveled her complicated feelings into a linear path. Only now, she was unsure about everything she had done. She had forced herself onto Liam and was reaping the consequences of that. She even entertained thoughts of him while she was with Scott, jeopardizing that relationship with her silly antics of keep away in a vain attempt to see if she could win Liam back. Truly, she had been the fool all along.

She was taken away from her thoughts when she bumped into another monster, letting out a hurried 'excuse me' until a hand grabbed her shoulder. "Vicky? It's me!"

Scott's voice cut through her defenses and stiffened her body, peeking out from her wall of hands to see him. His bright, cheerful demeanor vanished in an instant and he crouched down to get closer. "Whoa, hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

His hands gently touched hers and she allowed him to slowly bring them down to reveal the rest of her humiliated face. One of his hands grabbed for a monster behind him, and after a loud ripping noise, Vicky felt a piece of cloth run over her cheeks to wipe away the runny makeup. She felt like a cherished doll, which only broke her heart further for her deception. "… Am I a fool?"

"No! Course not. Why would you ask that?" Scott didn't understand the situation and Vicky had no strength to retell what just happened. She was ready to ask him to let her leave when he stood back up, scanned the room and took her hand. "Here, come on."

He let her pull them back into the party, Vicky concentrating on keeping her face hidden than trying to figure out where they were going. When Scott pulled on one door they entered into an abandoned stairwell and up the stairs. She didn't question where they were going; maybe Polly liked to have parties at this one particular venue as she felt the vibrations of the music through every step. When they reached the top, Scott led her out onto the roof, where some chairs had been placed as more of an afterthought.

She sat down on the side of one lounge chair while Scott sat next to her, still keeping her hand. "Okay. What's wrong?"

Her mind wanted to tell Scott everything, to berate Liam and tell him how awful a monster he was for leaving her in such a mess. She almost did when she remembered the last time she told Scott something negative about Liam. It made him upset, and while she could care less about Scott's ideas about Liam, she didn't want to bring Scott down to her level. Keeping this in mind, Vicky took a shaky breath. "There was this other monster I liked but it was never clear if he liked me back. When I tried to ask him he snapped at me and told me that he'd never date me. So … yeah …"

"You liked someone else?" Scott seemed a little distraught over the news.

Vicky, sadly, nodded her head. "I thought maybe I had a chance but I was just annoying him. When you kissed me at the park, I got really confused and I didn't want to decide on anything until I knew how he felt back. That's why I was so distant this last week. I didn't want to hurt you but … I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry."

"And … and he hurt you?" Vicky bit her lower lip, nodding again. She bristled only slightly when Scott pulled her into him for a tender hug, the warmth of his fur bringing some calm. His voice sounded funny. "Do you want me to talk to him?"

"No." Vicky's hand restlessly gripped his shirt, her voice tired. "I just want to stay here with you."

They embraced in silence for several minutes. Vicky stared up at the sky, reflecting on her internal thoughts and feelings. Her heart had been crushed into itty-bitty pieces and she wanted nothing more than to bawl her eyes out until she had no more tears to cry. Yet, she also felt those same pieces melt into a warm pool of comfort and belonging just from being near Scott. It was conflicting, to say the least. "Oh, Flippers is out."

"Hm?" She felt a little lonely when Scott let up from the hug to point at a small cluster of stars.

"Flippers, that's what I call those stars. Because they look like a turtle." He etched lines between the stars. "See?"

"… Kind of?" Vicky had to squint her eyes and strain her brain to even think about the image Scott thought of.

"It's easier to see where I live. There, the sky is full of stars and there's so many other ones you can see." Scott's ears fell. "I don't know why they don't come out whenever I'm in the city. Maybe they're too shy? I tell them that they shouldn't be, that the city is full of nice monsters, but they always stay home. Flippers is one of the few that will come with me."

Vicky found Scott's disappointment mildly cute. She scooted closer and hugged her knees, resting her head on his upper arm. "You'll have to introduce me to them all sometime."

His gaze fell from the sky and to her. She gave him a small smile, overlapping her hand with his. She expected him to smile back, to agree with her. Instead, she watched confliction cloud his eyes. "Vicky … do you like me?"

Vicky blinked as Scott slumped his shoulders. "Why would you ask that?"

"I mean, you said you liked some other monster and you distanced yourself from me. We haven't really talked about our kiss or kissed after that evening in the park." Scott nervously glanced away. "I really like you, Vicky. I haven't felt this way about any other monster and every time we have to be apart I get really bummed out. I wanna stay with you so badly. I wanna protect you and make you smile. But I don't want you to feel like you have to return those feelings because of that kiss. So … if you like someone else … we can just stay friends."

It made sense for him to feel that way. Vicky stared at the floor and reflected on the then and now. Liam had just rejected her and Scott was allowing her to leave on good terms if she needed to. If she had any qualms about getting into a relationship with Scott then now was the time to take that step back and think about things. In fact, that would probably be the best thing for Vicky at the moment. Scott, endearing as he was, was still a werewolf and that would complicate things not only with her family but with her ever-present fear for his kind. Her heart had also been shattered and she wasn't thinking rationally because of it. It would be best to take Scott's offer and think on things, to make sure she knew what she wanted before locking herself into a route. It was for the best.

Hands taking his, Scott turned just in time to see Vicky get on her knees and push her lips up against his.

It was like downing an entire bottle of Xanax; immediately she felt calmed and relaxed, like her body had been shot into outer space and she was floating through time without concern for anything. It was almost maddening going this long without his touch and she made sure she conveyed how badly she missed it at that moment.

When she parted he looked dazed, as if he saw the fireworks she never did. "Scott, I might have had feelings for another monster, but that doesn't mean I don't feel anything for you. I wouldn't have kissed you back at the park if I didn't like you. I like you a lot and … I want to be with you …"

"Really?" His ears perked and his tail stood at attention. "Then … then can we be a couple? Like boyfriend and girlfriend?"

The way Scott asked his question like he was a child learning the concept for the first time made her chuckle. A single word could start or end what they had at that moment, remembering that she just told herself to step back and think about her predicament. Sadly, her mind had no control over her mouth, which belonged to her flurry of emotions inside her heart. "I want to be if you do."

Saying the magic words, she watched an explosion of love and endearment fill his bright blue eyes. His hands clasped around hers tightly, tail wagging. "Yes, yes I want to be! I want to be your boyfriend and you to be my girlfriend! I want you to watch me work extra-hard at practice and go back to Auntie Bebes and get more food, and walk you home and take you to school, and hug you and kiss you and make you feel happy just like how I'm feeling right now!"

They embraced for another hug, their laughter twisting together to form a cute melody. Vicky had never felt so relieved and happy as she let Scott claim her lips, his hands on her back. He leaned onto her, feeling herself fall back and onto the cushion of the lounge chair while Scott held himself over her to not crush her.

He pulled away for a second to allow them to catch their breath and Vicky looked up into his clear eyes. She could almost see her reflection in them when it was interrupted by him leaning back down to take more of her. She didn't resist, moaning into his lips, her hands pulling on his shirt. It elicited a low groan from him, her thoughts drifting away until a loud slam startled both of them.

Scott pulled away but kept himself above Vicky, glaring at the intruder while Vicky tried to see who it was upside-down. Brian stumbled his way through the doorway, swaying more drastically than earlier while holding a lit cigarette in one hand and a bottle of beer in another. He was unsuccessful at getting the cigarette to his lips before he crashed onto the ground. "Brian!"

Scott let Vicky out as the two ran over to help him up. He groaned pitifully. "Just let me die here …"

"Brian?" This was not how Vicky left Brian last. His eyes were blood-shot and clearly overdosed on something and his attempts to push them off were more than sad. Together they set him down on the chair they were using seconds ago to make-out on, sitting on either side of him. Scott leaned away; whatever was on Brian's clothes was clearly affecting his nose. "What happened?"

Brian stared at Vicky for an uncomfortable amount of time, grumbling. "She said no, but that was after she laughed her ass off at me. Said she doesn't commit to anyone. Free spirit bullshit."

Vicky's eyes widened, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Brian, I'm sorry."

He knocked her hand off. "Don't pity me. I thought I had a chance … guess I was wrong. What a moron I am …"

The words stung Vicky, enough that she gave Brian a hug even when he tried to shove her off. "I know the feeling …"

When she let go Brian was staring at the two, slurring. "So … you two an item?"

They glanced at one another as Vicky noticed Scott's hand slip behind Brian. She took it, gently squeezing it. "Yeah. We're an item."

The confirmation sent a flutter through her chest, and from the way Scott looked he felt the same. Brian grumbled, finally able to lift his cigarette to his lips and blow out a puff of smoke. "Good for you. Looks like I won't be making it to homecoming."

"Aw, Brian, no." Vicky let go of Scott's hand, resting hers in her lap.

"I mean, what's the point? You all got your hot dates and I'm all washed up. There's no point in going if you're all going to be occupied."

"That's not true," Scott piped up. "In fact, you can hang out with us tomorrow!"

Vicky wasn't expecting Scott to suggest the idea, but she was struggling to come up with anything else. Brian scoffed. "And be a third wheel? Pass."

"No, Scott's right. You can hang with us!" Vicky wouldn't feel right going now if Brian was going to be depressed at his apartment alone. She eyed Scott warily. "We don't have to be lovey-dovey tomorrow. We can just chill and be buds. With you!"

"I don't want to ruin your homecoming." Swigging the last of his beer, Brian cared not where he threw the bottle and the accompanying shatter of glass.

"You won't, really. It's fine." Vicky made note of where the bottle smashed to make sure her heels wouldn't end up full of glass. "We'll have an amazing time. The three amigos!"

"Yeah! Wait, what's an 'amigo'?" Scott looked to her for an answer, his confusion entertaining.

Vicky felt her persuasion skill increase when Brian let forth a brief and sad chuckle. "Fine, we'll try it."

"It'll be a lot of fun." She gave him a reassuring pat on the back as he gutted a groan.

"I think I want to just go home and die now … I don't even remember half of the crap I put in me …"

"No problem! I can take you!" Scott perked back up and hopped to his feet.

Brian laughed again. "Yeah, if you want puke in your fur! The rocking will only make things worse. Just call me a Lyft and we'll be good."

Vicky was the one to make the call while Scott carried Brian downstairs and through the main room. Her nerves ate at her as they passed through the party, eyes darting everywhere in fear of finding Liam or Oz again. Thankfully, she didn't see either by the time they exited the building.

Handing him a wad of cash—so he wouldn't have to fumble for his wallet—Vicky and Scott waited with Brian until the car came to get him and waved him off as it drove away. Vicky was the first to turn back to Scott. "So … are you okay with this?"

"Yeah, it's totally cool! I don't know Brian that well but I know he's buds with you. And any bud of yours is a bud of mine!" Scott nuzzled his cheek next to hers. "Or should I say … any bud of my _girlfriend's_."

Vicky giggled as his beard tickled her cheek. "Yeah. Your girlfriend."

The music was still audible from where they stood. Scott turned back to it. "Do you want to go back inside?"

Vicky gave the doors to the mad party a melancholy look. It would be easy to go back inside, down a bunch of drugs and waste the night in hallucinations and funny words. For once, Vicky didn't feel like being crazy. "Nah. Not feeling it." She checked Google maps quickly, a smile on her lips. "You wouldn't happen to have your ball on you, would you?"

It took less than a second for the rubber ball to appear in Scott's hand. He stared her straight in the eye. "Always, bro."

Where he hid that, Vicky didn't want to know. Taking a few steps forward, Vicky twirled and let her dress dance with her. "Let's go to the park."

Once the words left her lips Vicky's walk changed into a sprint, knowing exactly what was going to happen next. In seconds Scott had already passed her, taking her outstretched hand and leading the way. "Yeah, let's go play!"

She laughed at his enthusiasm, her heels clicking just as loud as her laugh as they ran through the night.


	13. UPDATE: SWITCHING SITES

So due to the lack of reception and how dead the community is when it comes to Monster Prom on this site, Trauma Stitched with Love will be put on indefinite hiatus on this site. HOWEVER, that doesn't mean the story is over. It's still running over on Archive of Our Own, where it's on chapter 15 as we speak! From chapter 13 onward things also get a bit raunchier, which was another reason for stopping the story on here. Idk I just feel awkward posting lewd stuff on here.

So if you're still interested in following the story, you'll need to hop over to Archive of Our Own to read the rest of it. Thank you to all who have been reading it on here and hope to see you over there!


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